Will the Blue Jays be used again as leverage for this free agent's big contract

Fans of the Toronto Blue Jays have been through this song and dance before. The prospective top player on the free agent market is being linked to the Blue Jays. It happened with Shohei Ohtani. It happened with Juan Soto. It's been happening for years as players' agents seemingly float Toronto out to teams as a potential landing spot, in an effort to drive up their clients market.

What has changed in the last couple of years, though, is that the Blue Jays seem to actually be in on these big names. They've got money to spend, they sometimes have matched or surpassed what rival teams have given, and there has been a clear need to add a free agent for their own competitive outlook.

All of those things are true again heading into 2026, but will this finally be the time the Blue Jays actually land the big fish they are after? Or is this years' top free agent once again using the Blue Jays as bait?

Will the Blue Jays be used again as leverage for this free agent's big contract

Kyle Tucker is the number one consensus free agent on the market today. He is expected to land a deal north of $350 million dollars, and that's mostly due to the competition for his services and not based on what his value may actually be to the club. Baseball Reference projects him to have an average to good season in 2026 - slashing .273/.373/.493 with 23 home runs, 123 hits and 83 strikeouts to 71 walks, with an OPS of .866.

A lot of that is based off what was considered a down year in 2025 where he dealt with a few injuries, but still managed to be named an NL All-Star, while producing a 4.6 bWAR and a 143 OPS+. If fully healthy, the left handed hitting outfielder could be a 30 homer threat with an OPS above .890. He could be even better if he lands somewhere that doesn't diminish lefty batters.

In 2025, playing at Wrigley Field was a detriment for Tucker. As noted by ESPN producer Paul Hembekides, Tucker's power numbers were significantly reduced at his home ballpark. At Wrigley Field he had a .400 SLG, while that jumped up to .516 everywhere else. Hembekides notes the park's conditions, particularly the wind completely hindered a hitter like Tucker.

Looking at his Baseball Savant page, if Tucker played his whole season at Rogers Centre in Toronto his power numbers would have seen an uptick based on his batted balls and he would have added four more home runs to his season total. But just because his numbers perceive to be better playing for the Blue Jays won't entirely bring the two sides together to work out a long term deal.

There is interest and a need there on the Blue Jays side as both George Springer and Daulton Varsho will be hitting free agency in 2026 and that thins out the Blue Jays outfield depth pretty quickly. Inking a guy of Tuckers caliber to a long term deal would soften that blow. The Blue Jays also have the leverage of having just proven they are a franchise that is capable of winning and had all the right pieces in place until the ninth inning of Game 7 of the World Series.

So while the Blue Jays are an obvious landing spot for Tucker among pundits and fans, it remains to be seen if Tucker sees himself playing in a Blue Jays uniform. But the rumor mills have already started spinning as Toronto is being named by several outlets as a team to watch in the Tucker sweepstakes.

And while Tucker, or more realistically, his agent, may use the Blue Jays as a bargaining chip in their negotiations, Toronto's fans seem to be lukewarm either way. The Blue Jays this season proved they have what it takes in-house to be a competitive team. Would they like to see the competitive ceiling raised? Of course! But it's not like the Blue Jays need to put all their eggs in one big basket for Tucker in order for them to still have a good offseason.