#kyle-tucker

#kyle-tucker

Here we are in 2026 (barely), and very little has happened since we discussed all the things that the Cubs should probably do in the last podcast. We do know that the Cubs got beat out for Tatsuya Imai because the Astros would give yearly opt-outs, which Jed Hoyer seems to be against for possibly justifiable reasons, and given that no other team bothered to outbid the Astros (or Cubs, for that matter), maybe it's for the best?

A couple of Toronto Blue Jays have taken to social media in an attempt to try and recruit a superstar to come north. First, Myles Straw sent Tucker a funny message about baby sitting his child, after Tucker and his wife announced they were expecting. Now, it's Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s turn to get the rumor mill rolling again after he posted on Tucker's feed a few days ago. The post, an emoji and not an actual message, was more than enough to cause some excitement.

If there's one team willing and able to give outfielder Kyle Tucker the $400 million he seeks in free agency, it's the Toronto Blue Jays, according to many of the agents, executives and managers at baseball's annual winter meetings this week. And if there's one team with the capability to both trade for and extend Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, according to insiders, it's the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Blue Jays whiffed on the brightest stars of the past two free agent classes -- Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto -- and Rogers Communications still has money to spend after investing $500 million in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in April and another $210 million recently in free agent starter Dylan Cease. Tucker visited the Blue Jays' facility in Florida last week. Pairing the left-handed-hitting outfielder with the right-handed-hitting Guerrero would give Toronto a scary tandem for years.

Fast forward to December, and some seemed to have cooled on Tucker after he underwhelmed in his debut season with the Cubs. He finished the year with 22 home runs and 25 stolen bases in 136 games played. His .841 OPS, while still 43% better than league average, was his worst since 2022. His .464 slugging percentage was his lowest career line.

Many throughout the media have assumed he'll end up in Los Angeles with the Dodgers. LA has a real need in the outfield, and Tucker on paper would appear to be a perfect fit. Money is rarely an issue with this franchise given the amount they print courtesy of back-to-back World Series titles and a host of marketing opportunities within the United States as well as in Asia.

Myles Straw may be suited for a role as a Major League Baseball General Manager when his playing days are over. The Toronto Blue Jays outfielder is putting in the work this offseason by trying to make the team better and he's doing it in ways that's catching the attention of many Blue Jays fans online. Over the weekend Straw was playing the role of "active recruiter" as he was trying to entice one of the biggest names on the market to join the Blue Jays.