Why the Blue Jays shouldn't be willing to match this proposed Kyle Tucker signing

The Toronto Blue Jays' signing of Dylan Cease was a huge moment for many reasons, but his contract marks the second time in less than a year that the franchise has handed out a $200 million agreement.

With Bo Bichette reportedly pushing for a deal in that range this offseason, it's a huge question mark if the reigning AL pennant winners can afford three deals of that magnitude. Which is exactly why Toronto needs to avoid getting too deep into the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes.

Kyle Tucker is great, but the Blue Jays need to spend that money elsewhere

In Jim Bowden's latest piece previewing the Winter Meetings for The Athletic, he predicts that Tucker will earn a 10-year, $427 million contract from the New York Yankees.

Ignoring the fact that Tucker would need to move to left field -- a position he hasn't played since 2020 -- to accommodate Aaron Judge, there's reason to believe the Yankees will be in on him. They are set to lose Cody Bellinger in free agency this winter, and they desperately need another middle-of-the-order slugger as their core gets older.

Keeping him out New York is reason enough for the Blue Jays to try and sign him, but at $427 million, he simply isn't worth the price for a team that already has Cease, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Andrés Giménez, José Berríos, and Anthony Santander under long-term contracts.

Speaking of Santander, he and his near-$20 million annual salary would have to be moved in order to make room on both the depth chart and payroll for Tucker. That's not a big deal from the Blue Jays' point of view, but it'd be hard to find a taker for his remaining contract after he posted a 61 wRC+ in just 54 games in his first season in Toronto.

As for Tucker, he is an elite outfield option, though his profile isn't quite as promising as it once was. He's been worth at least 4.0 fWAR in every season since 2021, but he hasn't eclipsed the 5.0 mark in that time. He's consistently great, but he hasn't been elite outside of his excellent 78-game stretch in 2024.

The 28-year-old has also been hampered by injuries in each of the past two seasons, and his second half with the Cubs in 2025 (115 wRC+ and .738 OPS) are not the stats of a superstar worth more than $40 million per year.

The Blue Jays have been mentioned as one of the frontrunners in Tucker's market ever since he visited them prior to the Winter Meetings. If his price tag comes down to a more manageable level, it'd be reasonable to prioritize him if Bichette heads elsewhere.

But as things stand right now, he's simply not worth the asking price,