Yankees' Kyle Tucker trade buzz gains traction with top seal of approval

At first, it very much felt like the Kyle Tucker trade rumors were nonsense, right? The Houston Astros have little reason to trade him unless they receive an offer they can't refuse, and it seemed there was little chance they'd trade him to an enemy in the New York Yankees.

But the buzz has gained steam very quickly over the last 48 hours and now there's speculation it's a matter of when — not if — Tucker gets dealt. The Chicago Cubs are the other team in direct competition with the Yankees, but there's been much delegating over the last 24 hours.

Still not sure if you're convinced about the Yankees' interest? Well, YES Network's trusted insider Jack Curry weighed in on the buzz during the final night of coverage at the Winter Meetings and he said, "The Yankees are going to try very hard to execute this." How's that for a confirmation?

Curry obviously doesn't have a 100% hit rate when it comes to predicting moves, but he's arguably the most dialed in reporter and doesn't reveal information unless it's already a developed narrative within the front office.

The Yankees, if they pull off a trade of this magnitude, could arguably be better than last year after adding Max Fried on a $218 million deal this week.

Yankees Rumors: Kyle Tucker trade buzz gaining steam after insider's confirmation

Apparently, the Astros are reportedly very interested in Rookie of the Year Luis Gil as the centerpiece of a hypothetical deal, and that shouldn't deter New York, especially if the rest of the package features underwhelming prospects the Yankees currently possess in their farm system.

Gil is a promising talent — there's no doubt about it — but again, we must reinforce the reality that the Yankees have a three-year window to capitalize on their World Series aspirations. With a rotation of Fried, Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Clarke Schmidt, Nestor Cortes and Marcus Stroman, they could theoretically afford to trade Gil, whose value is at its peak after the Yankees worked hard to help him overcome injuries.

Fans would prefer some of the other above names be traded, but none of them possess the proper value to acquire a talent of Tucker's caliber. And the market isn't overflowing with premier offensive firepower. If the Yankees can get their hands on Tucker for a year and then pass on the bidding war for his free agency next offseason, it'd be a massive win to improve their 2025 chances.

Much like the Soto trade with the Padres, there are some players you're going to have to give up. And Gil, like Michael King, cannot be getting in the way of the bigger picture.