Kyle Tucker is viewed as the best all-around player on the free-agent market, and interested parties are already lining up to make their pitch.
Tucker hits free agency on the heels of an up-and-down season with the Cubs, in which he posted a 143 OPS+ while playing through a hairline fracture in his right hand for much of the summer. Entering 2026 — his age-29 season — Tucker has been worth at least 4.0 fWAR in each of the past five years, thanks in part due to a lifetime .865 OPS.
One team linked to Tucker early in the offseason? According to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan, it’s the Blue Jays, who are eager to add to a roster that fell one win shy of a World Series title in 2025. Pairing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with Tucker would make for an elite one-two punch. Not to mention, Tucker is one of the game’s most disciplined hitters, touting the unique combination of power and contact that defined Toronto’s approach in October.
But Toronto seems likely to face stiff competition for Tucker, especially among its division rivals. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (subscription required) reports that the Orioles are not ruling out a pursuit of Tucker, even after trading for outfielder Taylor Ward. Earlier this month, multiple team executives told The Athletic that Baltimore is an under-the-radar team in the Tucker sweepstakes. Notably, Orioles’ president of baseball operations Mike Elias was the Astros’ scouting director when Houston selected Tucker with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2015 Draft.
And then there’s the Yankees, looming with a hole to fill in their outfield. Trent Grisham is back, having accepted the qualifying offer, but New York still has a decision to make with Cody Bellinger currently a free agent. On one hand, the Bombers could just re-sign Bellinger, a former MVP who acquitted himself well in his first season in pinstripes. But Tucker would be an unquestioned upgrade, giving the Yankees another elite bat to protect Aaron Judge.
