Blue Jays offer to Kyle Tucker was $350M for 10 years. They certainly put in a big effort. Still one of the biggest winter winners with all they’ve done.
Report: Blue Jays offered Kyle Tucker a 10-year deal worth $350 million
Photo credit: © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Jan 18, 2026, 11:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 18, 2026, 10:55 EST
It’s hard to fault the Toronto Blue Jays for not being able to sign Kyle Tucker.
According to New York Post’s Jon Heyman, the Blue Jays offered the outfielder a 10-year deal worth $350 million. In the end, the former Houston Astro and Chicago Cub ended up signing a four-year deal worth $240 million with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Jays gave a very competitive and legitimate offer, but in the end, declining a four-year, $240 million deal with minimal deferrals and an annual average value of $57.18 million was just never in the cards. Tucker could possibly enter free agency after the 2027 season, as he has player opt-outs after the 2027 and 2028 seasons.
Landing Tucker would’ve capped off an already impressive off-season into a historic one. At the end of the day, it’s rather unfortunate as Tucker would’ve been such a great fit for the Blue Jays, a left-handed batting outfielder who can hit second. Still, adding Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, Tyler Rogers, and Kazuma Okamoto is a strong offence that makes the team better, even if the lineup is a bit weaker with the loss of Bo Bichette.
Could the Jays end up using some of that money on a different free agent? Cody Bellinger is a fit of sorts, as he’s a left-handed batting outfielder with solid defence and doesn’t strikeout. That said, there is certainly more risk to giving him a long-term deal as opposed to Tucker, as Bellinger has been inconsistent throughout his career.
The Jays have also been connected to Framber Valdez in recent times for whatever reason. Despite already having a surplus of starters, adding Valdez would give them a middle-of-the-rotation left-handed pitcher, while making a different starter eligible for trade. If they were to sign Valdez, they’d also lose their third and sixth-round picks.
Heard something recently that adds a little context around how the Blue Jays operate atop the free agent market: they met in person with Framber Valdez at the GM Meetings before signing Dylan Cease. sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/wh…
There are also plenty of trade options for outfielders, such as Steven Kwan, Lars Nootbaar, and Brendan Donovan, who can play both second base and the outfield.
Despite losing out on Tucker, there are still ways for the Blue Jays to get better, but the key to the rest of the off-season is actually doing so. While they’re a better team than they were last season, the Dodgers are significantly better with the addition of Tucker and Edwin Díaz, so the Jays will have to find a way to make another big move.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.