Kyle Tucker is among the notable free agents still unsigned with the start of Spring Training roughly a month away.
Tucker has drawn interest from several big-market teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are looking to add a position player after bolstering their bullpen with the addition of Edwin Díaz.
Tucker was projected to command a contract of possibly $400 million, and while that may still happen, some teams are hopeful he will consider taking a short-term deal at this stage of the offseason.
That reportedly applies to the Dodgers, who one executive believes are waiting to see if Tucker is willing to accept a lesser contract, via Mark Feinsand of MLB.com:
“I can’t see the Dodgers signing him to a long-term deal, but if he is open to something shorter, that’s the kind of deal [president of baseball operations] Andrew [Friedman] loves,” said an AL executive. “It feels like they’re just waiting out the market, because as good as Tucker is, it’s not like they need him.”
The Dodgers took a similar approach when Bryce Harper was a free agent in 2019 as they offered him a short-term deal with a high average annual salary before he ultimately joined the Philadelphia Phillies on a 13-year, $330 million contract.
There has not been any public indication suggesting Tucker would be open to a short-term contract with the Dodgers or any other team to this point.
He reportedly visited the Toronto Blue Jays’ Spring Training facility earlier this offseason, and the World Series runner-up is believed to be the favorite to sign him. However, reports indicate the Mets presented Tucker with a short-term contract offer that includes a $50 million average annual value.
Kyle Tucker prefers not being ‘center of attention’
A recent report suggested that Tucker does not want to be the focal point of a team’s roster, fueling speculation of a potential move to the Dodgers due to already having multiple stars.
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