So far this offseason, the New York Yankees have been very quiet. No major moves have been made, which is rare for a team that is usually one of the biggest spenders in baseball.
To this point, the biggest priority has been to re-sign star outfielder Cody Bellinger. Those talks are not currently going well. Kyle Tucker has also been mentioned as a potential target for the Yankees if Bellinger falls through.
Should New York have interest in pursuing Tucker, it will need to get moving on that interest. Tucker’s market has yet to develop quite as he had expected, but right now the Yankees are not one of the teams involved.
That news comes via a report from former MLB general manager Jim Duquette.
Duquette took to X on January 11 to report that there are three teams currently in the mix for Tucker. Those teams are the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, and Toronto Blue Jays.
“A League source confirmed to me that the three main teams involved in the Tucker negotiations (Tor, LAD, NYM) have all met with the player, either in person or over Zoom, as part of the recruiting process for a star player,” Duquette wrote. “Will be interesting to see if any of the 3 teams increase their offers soon to separate themselves from the other.”
New York Yankees Are in a Dangerous Offseason Position
At this point in time, the Yankees are at risk of being one of the biggest losers of the MLB offseason.
If Bellinger opts to leave town and sign elsewhere, New York will have a hard time altering course. Tucker seems to be a far-fetched option now, while Bo Bichette is receiving heavy interest from the Philadelphia Phillies. The Boston Red Sox are also expected to get involved for Bichette.
Waiting around too much longer could result in the Yankees walking away without any top-tier signings this offseason.
New York usually finds a way to get something done. Fans have seen the Yankees make big move after big move over the years. The hope is that the front office has something up its sleeve this time around.
Should the Yankees Pursue Kyle Tucker?
Adding a pure bat like Tucker would be extremely valuable for New York. Simply imagining a long-term duo of Aaron Judge and Tucker would be a nightmare for pitchers around baseball.
Last season with the Chicago Cubs, Tucker had a down year due to injury issues. He still hit 22 home runs and drove in 73 RBI, while also producing a slash line of .266/.377/.464 in 136 games played.
When healthy, Tucker is arguably one of the best players in Major League Baseball.
To answer the question, the Yankees simply need to decide what they want to do. If they want to re-sign Bellinger, they need to get more aggressive on that front. Should they choose to pivot to Tucker, they need to do so now.
Expect to hear more rumors about the franchise in the near future. New York needs to get busy soon or this offseason has major potential to be a bust.
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