Mets and Blue Jays Mired in Battle Royale for Kyle Tucker

Posted on: January 14, 2026, 10:24h. 

Last updated on: January 14, 2026, 11:06h.

Mark Keast Read More
Expertise: Canadian Gaming, iGaming, Las Vegas, Sports Betting, NFL, Boxing, UFC.
  • Mets reportedly step up with $50 million per year, short-term offer for free agent Kyle Tucker
  • Bo Bichette meets with Philadelphia Phillies; meeting reportedly went “very well”
  • Whichever team gets Tucker will upend World Series betting odds

For most of the off-season, baseball insiders had the Toronto Blue Jays with the inside track to sign OF Kyle Tucker, the top MLB free agent available on the market. According to reports, the New York Mets just tossed a grenade into that narrative.

The Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets are believed to be in a head-to-head competition to sign free agent Kyle Tucker, shown here hitting during October’s MLB playoffs. (Image: Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images)

ESPN is reporting that Tucker has been offered a short-term deal by the Mets, worth $50 million per season. Tucker, 29, who played for the Chicago Cubs last season, is considered one of baseball’s best left-handed hitters and is a career .273 hitter. 

Last season, he hit .266, with 22 HRs, 73 RBIs, in 500 at-bats for the Cubs, with a 4.5 WAR (Wins Above Replacement, which measures a player’s total value by estimating how many extra games they would help a team win compared to a replacement-level player).

$50 Million AAV Offer

The Mets have had a rough offseason, waving goodbye to Pete Alonso and closer Edwin Diaz, who signed elsewhere as free agents, and OF Brandon Nimmo via trade with the Texas Rangers.

The Blue Jays, who’ve been MLB’s most active spender this offseason, doling out $337 million in contracts to four players, are believed to be offering Tucker a longer-term deal.

Baseball insiders like Jon Heyman have reported that he believed the Jays had the best odds to land Tucker. And last week, Blue Jays DH George Springer was spotted with Tucker, a former teammate when both were with the Houston Astros, at a TGL golf event. Tucker also checked out the Blue Jays’ spring training complex in Dunedin, Fla., in December.

This report has Tucker set to make a decision this week.

If the Blue Jays sign Tucker, it would likely mean the end of SS Bo Bichette’s time in Toronto. A separate report on Wednesday describes how Bichette just had a great meeting with the Philadelphia Phillies. Another advantage for Philadelphia is that they hired Don Mattingly as a bench coach. Mattingly was the bench coach in Toronto last year, and is close with Bichette.

Sportsbooks Like Bichette to Philadelphia

FanDuel oddsmakers initially had the Jays with the shortest odds to sign Bichette. Now it’s the Phillies. As of Wednesday, Philadelphia is at -125, followed by the Blue Jays at +210, with the Boston Red Sox at +550, the New York Yankees at +750, the LA Dodgers at +1400, and the Atlanta Braves at +1900.

Bichette is reportedly looking for a contract north of $300 million and is willing to shift to second base. He hit .311 last season, with 18 HRs, and was second in the majors with 44 doubles. Bichette tied for second in MLB with 181 hits despite missing most of the final month of the regular season with a knee injury that also kept him out of the ALDS and ALCS. He returned for the World Series against the Dodgers.

Tucker to Toronto likely means the Jays would need to trade Anthony Santander if Springer DHs more next season, and Tucker slides into LF, with Daulton Varsho in CF, and Addison Barger in RF. The Jays aren’t going to keep a $92.5 million bench player.

MLB Betting: World Series Odds

Keep an eye on World Series betting odds as Bichette, Tucker, and Cody Bellinger — the big-ticket free agents still out there — settle on their homes for this upcoming baseball season, likely very soon.

Wednesday morning at DraftKings, the Dodgers are +300, the Yankees +750, the Phillies +1100, the Mariners +1300, the Cubs +1500, the Braves +1500, the Blue Jays +1500, the Astros +1600, and the Mets also at +1600. At FanDuel, it’s the Dodgers +250, Yankees +1000, Mariners +1300, Phillies +1300, Braves +1300, Blue Jays +1400, Mets +1500, and Red Sox +1800.

BetMGM has the Yankees with the shortest odds to win the American League championship title, at +325, followed by the Mariners +550, Astros +650, Blue Jays +700, and the Red Sox +750.