Blue Jays Rumors: Toronto has 2 aggressive partners in Kyle Tucker chase

If it wasn't obvious before the offseason got rolling, it's certainly obvious now. The Toronto Blue Jays are one of the major players in MLB and they are throwing money around like few teams ever have before them. What's crazy is that they may not even be done yet, as Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic noted earlier this week, they still have a hole to fill on their roster, a left-handed slugger.

The Blue Jays have a perfect candidate to fill that hole, free agent Kyle Tucker. And while their interest in him remains high, according to industry sources, the Blue Jays now have to contend with some other major players in the market; the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Blue Jays Rumors: Toronto has 2 aggressive partners in Kyle Tucker chase

According to former NY Mets and Baltimore Orioles GM Jim Duquette, those two National League teams are also in the hunt for the consensus number one free agent this winter. Duquette says, "the Mets, Dodgers and the Blue Jays are the most aggressive suitors for Kyle Tucker. Nothing appears to be imminent, but there is some distance between the other team reportedly interested and the main three."

That falls in line with all of the other rumors that have been flying around all season. Toronto has long been considered one of, if not THE favourite to land Tucker. At first it appeared so because of their willingness to spend and the obvious roster need. While that need remains, it's not as obvious after signing Kazuma Okamoto who, will likely play third base for the Blue Jays and pushes Addison Barger into more of an everyday role in the outfield.

It's also going to be a tougher fit to bring Tucker in after the Blue Jays have already spent over $330 million this offseason and are running a payroll higher than they ever have in 2026. Still, they have money coming off the books before the 2027 season and a long term deal for Tucker could be supplemented by that money shifted toward the Silver Slugger winner.

Both the Mets and Dodgers make sense as suitors for Tucker as well. The Mets have lost more than they have gained this offseason after trading Brandon Nimmo, and Jeff McNeil while losing Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz through free agency. Tucker would be a huge sigh of relief for a club that is still within its window of contention and step toward their goals to get back into the postseason after missing in 2025.

The Dodgers are just the team that's in on everyone and don't seem to care what the dollar figure will be. The Dodgers will pay guys more to sit on their bench than some teams will offer those same guys to play everyday. Sure, it looks like the Dodgers have a crowded outfield picture with Teoscar Hernandez, Tommy Edman and Andy Pages as their current outfield, but that's never stopped the Dodgers from upgrading a position with a better player if they see the fit.

The Blue Jays knew it was never going to be easy to bring Tucker to Toronto, but once again they are ready to battle it out with the elite teams of the MLB and this time they seemingly have more leverage than ever before in trying to get a deal across the finish line.