We’re passed the MLB Winter Meetings and Christmas is around the corner, yet some of baseball’s top free agents remain unsigned. The No. 1 prize in most analyst’s eyes? Outfielder Kyle Tucker, formerly of the Houston Astros and the Chicago Cubs.
Tucker rejected the Cubs $22 million qualifying offer back in mid-November, as expected, and hit the free agent market with contract aspirations that could seemingly top out as high as $400 million. However, as of yet, no team has met Tucker’s lofty demands and he remains without a home.
Though Tucker is on the heels of a somewhat disappointing campaign in Chicago, one where he dealt with injury and posted a career-low .198 ISO, the soon-to-be 29-year-old has been one of MLB’s most consistent assets the past half-decade. Tucker still registered a 4.5 fWAR in 2025 despite only playing in 136 games — the fifth straight season the former fifth-overall pick has managed at least a 4.0 fWAR and a 130 wRC+. Most will also remember Tucker’s 2024, when the All-Star smashed 23 home runs and finished the regular season with a .419 wOBA in just 339 plate appearances. Tucker’s shown flashes of being a truly elite talent.
Where will Kyle Tucker end up? Which team has the best chance of adding his sweet-swinging left-handed bat? Let’s break down Tucker’s top three landing spots in free agency.
Best Kyle Tucker Landing Spots
1. New York Mets
Oddly enough, just one year after giving Juan Soto the largest contract in MLB history, the Mets could use the positive PR bump of signing a player like Tucker. It also just makes a lot of sense when you remember what New York has already lost from a roster that underwhelmed in 2025, namely Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo.
The fit here isn’t seamless. The aforementioned Soto is already locked into the Mets’ spot in right field, while Tucker hasn’t played left since 2020. That said, there could be millions of reasons for Tucker to make the switch across the diamond. Plus, New York simply needs warm bodies who can play the outfield at all. As of this moment, Soto and Tyrone Taylor feel like the only actual OFs that are “locks” to make the Mets’ Opening Day 26-man roster, with Luisangel Acuna and Jeff McNeil options as utility men. David Stearns has mentioned top prospect Carson Benge as a possibility, as well, yet it’s difficult to expect too much from a 22-year-old who only has 103 career plate appearances above Double-A.
With the resources available to owner Steve Cohen, it would be wild to see New York begin 2026 with this many holes and question marks in its lineup. With the organization’s estimated payroll down about $40 million from last season, there’s more than enough wiggle room for Cohen to be aggressive about adding at bat like Tucker’s. Stealing Cody Bellinger from their cross-town rivals could be another avenue for the Mets this offseason, with Bellinger at least capable of playing center field.
2. Toronto Blue Jays
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but the Blue Jays are considered the favorite to land a top free agent in this year’s class.
Toronto may have come up short on Shohei Ohtani, Roki Sasaki and Juan Soto in years past, yet it’s already been a lucrative offseason north of the border, as the Jays have handed out $277 million in deals to the likes of Dylan Cease, Tyler Rogers and Cody Ponce. Money is not really all that much of a worry for the Rogers Corporation that owns the team, especially on the heels of a record-setting World Series run, one that happened to be broadcasted to all of Canada on a TV station that Rogers owns.
Still, despite an amazing offensive performance in the postseason — primarily done without the services of Bo Bichette or Anthony Santander — Toronto’s lineup currently looks a little thin, particularly if you’re someone anticipating a bit of regression from either Addison Barger or Ernie Clement. It really feels like the Jays will be entering Spring Training with at least one of Tucker or Bichette on their roster, it’s just a matter of which one.
While Bichette certainly has sentimental value to Toronto’s fan base, Tucker projects as the superior fit, the left-handed bat that the Jays have been looking to pair with Vladimir Guerrero for years — and now could do so for the next decade. This is also the benefit of having a roster full of flexibility. With George Springer and Santander splitting innings at DH and in left field, Tucker’s presence in right would shift Barger back to third base, a place where he was a much better defender in 2025 according to DRS. Toronto would then have Clement and Andres Gimenez left to man the middle of the infield.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers
I know. Why do the Dodgers even need Kyle Tucker? Well, if there is a “weakness” on this roster, it’s at the corner outfield spots, a consequence of needing to move Mookie Betts into the infield in 2024.
Teoscar Hernandez posted career-lows across the board in 2025, finishing the regular season with a paltry .284 OBP and a 102 wRC+ — not quite the level of production required from someone who is as bad a defender as Hernandez is. That said, the 33-year-old has two years and $42 million remaining on a contract that seems like it would be a little difficult to move at the moment. Then there’s Andy Pages. The 25-year-old hit .272 with 27 home runs and a 4.1 fWAR in 2025, but was then so awful in the playoffs that he was benched for a majority of the World Series. It’s unclear which version of the former highly regarded prospect will show up next season.
Reports out of Los Angeles have suggested that the Dodgers are not interested in a long-term deal with Tucker, but rather a shorter contract with a massive AAV payout — think Edwin Diaz, but for an outfielder. It’s up for debate whether Tucker, who turns 29 in January, would be open to returning to free agency in his early 30s; yet with each passing week of no team getting close to the $400 million figure that had been thrown around all season long, the Guggenheim group’s deep pockets probably look more and more appealing. Remember, this is an organization that once signed Freddie Freeman when no one else seemed all that interested. How’d that work out?
