The Toronto Blue Jays have gotten bad news in their pursuit of Kyle Tucker.
Toronto has been after Tucker, who’s the top free agent available. Several teams are after Tucker, but the star slugger did visit the Blue Jays’ spring training facility, which was a good sign.
However, ESPN MLB insider Alden Gonzalez believes the Blue Jays may not get Tucker, as too many teams are after him and could drive up the price.
“The Blue Jays ultimately might not land Tucker,” Gonzalez wrote in a piece published on Friday. “The Dodgers — in search of an outfielder and also interested in Tucker, though only on a short-term deal — might not get Skubal. But their presence is stark at a time when so many big-market owners seem unwilling to spend.”
If Toronto doesn’t land Tucker, the team would likely go all-in on trying to bring back Bo Bichette. It appears the Blue Jays will land one of them, but Gonzalez isn’t so sure Toronto will sign Tucker as it initially appeared.
Tucker hit .266 with 22 home runs and 73 RBIs last season with the Chicago Cubs.
Blue Jays Have Productive Meeting With Tucker
Toronto met with Tucker at its spring training facility, and it appears the meeting went well.
At the Winter Meetings, Blue Jays manager John Schneider confirmed the meeting happened, and he said it was productive.
“We sat upstairs for about an hour, an hour-and-a-half, talked through kind of where the organization is, where the organization is heading, both from a team, roster-building standpoint, from an ownership standpoint, and he talked baseball. It was pretty cool,” Schneider said to Sportsnet. …
“It was very productive. Again, great, great player. And it’s not a surprise his skillset fits exactly what we’re doing. So, we’ll see where the next couple (of) weeks lead.”
Schneider said he enjoyed talking to Tucker and learning more about his game.
“I think it was very, very clear that he’s confident in the batter’s box,” said Schneider. “This dude can hit. And the things he talked about which were impressive to us, he talked about his defense, he talked about his base running, he talked about his baseball IQ – what he looks for when he is playing defense, certain tells in a pitcher to try to get 25 bags instead of 20. So it was pretty cool to hear that part of his game.”
Tucker is a four-time MLB All-Star.
Toronto is Going All-In
The Blue Jays have been one of the more active teams this offseason, and that isn’t expected to change.
ESPN’s MLB insider Jeff Passan said the team is going all-in this offseason and aren’t done with moves.
“Toronto, long mocked for its failures in free agency, is now a destination for players enthralled by the brand of baseball the Blue Jays play as well as the deep pockets of ownership,” Passan wrote. “If you’re going to spend $210 million on Cease, that’s a sign. It’s all-in time, and opportunistic maneuvering would pay huge dividends for Toronto.”
Toronto is expected to add more pitching help and another bat or two.
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