Yankees nowhere to be found as Kyle Tucker sweepstakes heat up

If the New York Yankees have reached their breaking point with Cody Bellinger, then it would be time to consider other options, right? The cleanest fit, and an upgrade to Bellinger in reality, would be superstar outfielder Kyle Tucker.

Tucker would cost more, but he's a year and a half younger than Bellinger and doesn't come with the same concerns regarding fluctuation in his performance. The cost, in addition to the comfort factor, has been the primary driving force behind the Yankees' pursuing Bellinger and largely ignoring Tucker all offseason, but now one would have to think they need to jump in the mix.

If only the Yankees would do what we think they should do instead of the actual moves they've made this winter. Reports are that the three top contenders for Tucker are the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, and Los Angeles Dodgers. The Yankees? They're nowhere to be found.

Finalists for Kyle Tucker are starting to emerge, and the Yankees are conspicuously absent

Even if New York believes it can eventually win Scott Boras and Bellinger over, it makes no sense not to get involved with Tucker at this point in time. Bellinger's demands have reached an unreasonable height, with some sources reporting seven years with a $37 million AAV being his asking price.

Even if the Yankees still prefer the former Dodger, at that price the allure of Bellinger evaporates. Making an offer to Tucker, then, would show Boras that the club is serious about pursuing other alternatives.

Beyond these two stars at the top, it's slim pickings in the outfield market. The next-best option is Harrison Bader, who put up a shiny 122 wRC+ in 2025, but the underlying metrics tell a very different and uglier story about his performance. After him, you get into platoon-bat territory, like Austin Hays.

Diving in on Tucker might force Boras and Bellinger back to the negotiating table, which seems like what the Yankees' objective would be. That won't happen, though, if they sit on the sidelines and allow the former Houston Astros star to land elsewhere.

The Yankees are playing a dangerous game. They likely know that they won't be willing to pay what it would take to land Tucker, so they'll let him go without making much of an effort. In doing so, they'll hand all the leverage back over to Bellinger's camp, and once that happens, does anyone truly believe they'll pony up?

Given what they've shown us so far this winter, it doesn't seem likely. However, in the off chance that they do, that will open up even more questions as to why they didn't just go get Tucker if they're really going to overpay Bellinger.

The most likely scenario is the bleakest, and involves the offseason coming to a close without either star outfielder landing in the Bronx, and big bets being placed on Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones instead. Remember when the Yankees were the Yankees? Those days are long gone.