Yankees could make creative ESPN Kyle Tucker contract prediction happen, but they won't

Free agent outfielder Kyle Tucker and a $400 million contract have been attached at the hip in speculation all offseason long. But as the weeks have worn on, and with Tucker still unsigned, belief has grown that Tucker might actually sign with someone on a short-term, high-AAV deal.

It's not what Tucker wants, of course, but the market ultimately decides his fate, and that market has indicated -- from the outside looking in -- that only the Toronto Blue Jays are even considering the idea of a decade-long mega-deal for Tucker.

With each day that passes, it's becoming more likely that Tucker could end up signing a short-term contract in the vein described this week by ESPN's Paul Hembekides. If this happens, the New York Yankees will take some flak from their fan base, as if there's not already enough of that happening.

Paul Hembekides just outlined a short-term Kyle Tucker contract that should (but likely won't) entice the Yankees

Speaking with ESPN's Buster Olney, Hembekides outlined not one, but two logical scenarios for a short-term Tucker deal: a "1+1" two-year deal for $104 millon (player option after next season), and a "2+2" four-year deal for $172 million. Hembekides also said that the Houston Astros should get involved and try to reunite with Tucker if he doesn't get the long-term offer from the Blue Jays that everyone's been talking about.

Much of Hembo's argument for the 'Stros to go after Tucker could also be applied to the Yankees, who are still a reliable outfielder short. The fear of giving Tucker a long-term deal is that, frankly, he's probably been a bit overrated this offseason amid a shallow free agent market when it comes to elite bats. Tucker is an All-Star type talent, assuredly, but he's not a five-tool demon that changes entire franchises, and his mediocre bat speed has many scouts convinced that his production would decline dramatically over the latter half of a 10-year deal.

That's all fair, but the calculus of pursuing (or not pursuing) Tucker completely changes when we're no longer talking 10 years and $400 million. If the situation is more aligned with what Hembekides proposed for Tucker, everything suddenly feels more appealing.

Everyone knows the Yankees are still hoping to re-sign Cody Bellinger. However, their "backup plan" in Tucker might end up being a lot more digestible from a salary standpoint than initially assumed. There's no reason not to be fully in on Tucker if he does indeed end up positioned to sign a four-year deal or less. Whether or not the Yankees will realize this is another matter entirely.