Toronto Blue Jays welcome free agent Kyle Tucker to Dunedin Spring Training facility
Photo credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
Free agent outfielder Kyle Tucker visited the Toronto Blue Jays' Dunedin, Fla., training facilities Wednesday.
According to Robert Murray of FanSided, the Blue Jays welcomed Kyle Tucker to their Dunedin complex this afternoon.
As the weather gets colder, the stove gets hotter! 👀 Kyle Tucker reportedly visited the Blue Jays' complex in Dunedin, Fla., on Wednesday, a source tells http://MLB.com.
Murray writes that the Jays continue to have interest in both Tucker and Bo Bichette.
Toronto has been the most aggressive team in the first month of the offseason.
Their seven-year deal with Dylan Cease is the biggest signing to date.
They agreed to a three-year contract with KBO MVP Cody Ponce to deepen the rotation.
None of that is expected to take them out of the mix on a top free agent hitter.
Can the Blue Jays sign both Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette?
It'd be stunning to see them sign Tucker and Bichette, who'll probably join Cease in receiving the three largest contracts of the offseason.
However the Blue Jays appear firmly in play for either of free agency's two best hitters.
Re-signing Bichette would be the more straightforward move, but Tucker is the better all-around player.
He's a lifetime .273/.358/.507 hitter and is coming off a .266/.377/.464 showing in his lone season with the Cubs.
Even if the Blue Jays don't really need a corner outfielder, Tucker is the caliber of player for whom any team can make room.
The Blue Jays might just be getting started. More on star outfielder Kyle Tucker, who drove over to Dunedin today for a visit:
Tucker is projected to receive an 11-year, $400MM contract as he enters his age-29 season.
He declined a qualifying offer and is attached to draft pick compensation.
The Blue Jays already forfeited their second- and fifth-highest picks in next year's draft, plus $1MM from their 2027 international bonus pool, to sign Cease.
Signing another qualified free agent would cost them their third- and sixth-highest picks as well.
That would not apply to their own qualified free agent in Bichette (though they'd give up their right to receive a compensatory pick after the fourth round).
Toronto is on track for the highest payroll in team history.
Adding another top free agent would push them beyond the $304MM final luxury tax threshold.
There's no indication that the budget is tight at this point, though the Jays could try to shed some of the remaining three years and $66MM on the José Berrios deal.
The blue Jays are seeking a high-leverage reliever on top of their pursuit for a big bat.
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