Kyle Tucker, the top player in this winter’s free-agent class, visited the Toronto Blue Jays’ complex in Dunedin, Fla., on Wednesday, according to multiple media reports. The meeting came one day after Toronto finalized its seven-year, US$210 million deal with Dylan Cease as the club continues an aggressive offseason. Tucker, who could command more than $300 million, would fill a major outfield need for a team fresh off a World Series run. According to MLB.com, the right fielder, who lives in nearby Tampa, puts the ball in play, gets on base and has hit between 20 and 30 home runs in each of his past five seasons. But, despite the visit, what are the odds Toronto actually lands Tucker? No Blue Jays fan will forget December 2023, when intense speculation that the club could sign two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani reached an all-time high when rumours came out that he was “en route to Toronto.” More than 3,000 people tracked what they believed to be the Japanese baseball player’s flight via FlightRadar24, making it the most-watched plane in the world at the time. That rumour came from MLB Network reporter Jon Morosi. He ended up retracting it and apologized on social media. Could all the speculation lead to a repeat of Ohtanigate? Here’s what some baseball experts are saying about Toronto’s odds of landing Tucker’s bat. ‘I think that there is a legitimate possibility’ Speaking of Morosi, he told MLB Network the “23 mile drive” from Tucker’s hometown of Tampa to the Blue Jay’s Spring Training Complex in Dunedin makes the fit a “very good one.” However, he believes Tucker only fits into the Toronto lineup if the club does not bring Bo Bichette back. Bichette became a free agent at the end of the season after declining his one-year qualifying offer. “You could see a scenario where (Addison) Barger plays third, (Ernie) Clement plays second, (Andrés) Giménez plays short, (Anthony) Santander in left, and George Springer in right, and this becomes your club,” Morosi explained. “The Jays already have great depth of outfielders, but that’s actually part of the reason why they might be able to sign Tucker on terms that they view as being favourable to them.” Morosi described where Tucker would work on the Jays as “not as clear and obvious” as it would have been last year around the All-Star break, now that the team is entering the season as American League Champions. ‘Don’t think it makes all that much sense’ Former MLB player Yonder Alonso told MLB Network that Tucker’s Dunedin visit felt “eye-washy” to him and said he feels like the Blue Jays want to bring him in, but at “their price.” “I just don’t think for the Blue Jays, it makes all that much sense,” Alonso said. “A lot of left-handed pop. I feel like they need a right-handed hitter, you know, I still think what’s going to happen with Bichette, what’s going to happen with that bullpen? I feel that they have more needs to try to kind of check the box on than a guy like this.” Alonso added that he believes Toronto needs to “unload,” whether that’s in the form of a trade of an outfielder or a pitcher. “There was no question that the offence wasn’t in struggle mode during the postseason or during the whole year, right? So if it ain’t broke, why fix it?” Alonso pondered. He admitted that Tucker would make the team a lot better, but still believes there are other needs that are just as important, “if not more,” like the bullpen and resigning Bichette. ‘It does feel pretty serious’ Baseball columnist and insider Jon Heyman believes that Toronto is a “serious” candidate to land the former Chicago Cub. “Obviously, we’ve been through this before,” Heyman said on a livestream with Bleacher Report, referring to the Ohtani rumours. “But, it does feel pretty serious.” “I do think that Toronto is a serious candidate to sign Kyle Tucker,” Heyman continued. “He is the number one free agent on the market, a number five overall (draft) pick several years ago.” Heyman pointed to Tucker’s success at garnering walks, getting on base, and described him as a “five-tool, exceptional player,” adding that it’s not a surprise Toronto would be interested. “Right now, Toronto feels like the most serious team, but I think that has to do with our reporting more than anything,” Heyman remarked. “I will say this about Toronto... they are very, very active, and that was something that was predicted early on.” “I do think Toronto is serious. Anything that they’re connected to, I believe in them. I think that they are a very fine organization... They obviously came off that heartbreaking World Series. They had a terrific year. They wiped out the (New York) Yankees. They beat the (Seattle) Mariners in very exciting fashion, and they really outplayed the (Los Angeles) Dodgers.” Overall, Heyman said he believes the Jays are frontrunners to land Tucker. ‘Let’s not get carried away’ Baseball writer and field reporter Ken Rosenthal said Tucker’s visit to the Jays’ spring training facilities indicates that the club is still “thinking big” after the signings of Cease and Cody Ponce. “It’s a selling point for the Blue Jays,” Rosenthal said on the Foul Territory podcast. “This is a clear indication of their interest, but whether it indicates that they’re going to sign Tucker, that remains to be seen.” Rosenthal cautioned Jays fans to “not get carried away” with the rumours, especially following what happened with Ohtani, but said it’s also not something to be “underplayed.” “The Jays are acting like behemoths in this market, and this meeting with Tucker... that’s an indication that they are thinking big,” Rosenthal said. “It also might be a message to Bo Bichette, ‘Hey, come down a little bit in your price.’ There are all kinds of possibilities here, but the fact of the matter is, he was in Dunedin at their complex, and that is news.” With files from The Canadian Press
