The Toronto Blue Jays have continued to show interest in Kyle Tucker, and the latest contract prediction could help the team land the slugger.
Entering the offseason, Tucker was expected to get a lengthy contract that could surpass 10 years and over $400 million. However, the market has been slow-moving, and he may now look at a shorter-term deal.
MLB insider Paul Hembekides of ESPN shared an intriguing short-term deal between the Blue Jays and Tucker.
“I think there are two frameworks that some of these big-market teams should at least run by his camp to see if there’s any interest at all,” Hembekides said. “A one-plus-one and a two-plus-two.”
The insider believes the Blue Jays could look at signing Tucker to a one-year deal for $52 million a year, plus a player option for 2026. Or, a two-year deal worth $43 million per season with another player option after the 2027 MLB season.
The contract figure could work well for the Blue Jays, as Toronto appears to be going all-in with this core. A short-term high AAV deal could also allow Toronto to sign Bo Bichette to a long-term deal and allow the Blue Jays to get both of them.
If Tucker is up for a short-term deal, then perhaps he could end up north of the border and playing for the Blue Jays in 2026.
Tucker Was Expected to Get Over $400M
Entering free agency, Tucker was the crown jewel of the offseason, but that may now change.
ESPN MLB insider Kiley McDaniel had Tucker as the top free agent and predicted he would sign an 11-year, $418 million deal.
“Tucker and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had long been circled as the two players who could potentially sign megadeals in this free agent class,” McDaniel wrote. “But Tucker is alone at the top since Vlad Jr. got his extension (14 years, $500 million) during the 2025 season. Tucker had some ups and downs to his 2025 season. …
“The conclusion from that exercise (via the industry projections of his contract) is that Tucker should come in just below $400 million. I’ve found from my experience projecting these types of deals that the top-tier free agents tend to beat those projections.”
MLBTradeRumors, meanwhile, predicted Tucker would sign an 11-year, $400 million deal. So, if the Blue Jays could land him on a short-term, high AAV deal, it could work out for both parties.
Blue Jays Were Impressed With Tucker
Tucker visited the Blue Jays facility in Dunedin amid the team’s interest, and the team publicly commented on the meeting.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said they talked for over an hour. He left the meeting with plenty of praise for Tucker.
“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 (and a) 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.”
Tucker is a four-time MLB All-Star.
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