Tick Tock Mr. Tucker

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Kyle Tucker is on his own time, apparently. The outfielder has at least two offers to choose from and he is taking an agonizingly long time to make a decision. At least to us it seems like an agonizingly long time. 

Mike Puma, the master of the non-update update, tweeted yesterday that the Mets expect to receive an answer “relatively soon” from King Tuck, but team brass doesn’t know which way he is leaning. Usually, that would be a bad sign, but remember your recent Met history: the Mets didn’t think they had a shot at Juan Soto until the day he agreed to join them. Something similar took place with the acquisition of Max Scherzer. Others though are more pessimistic, figuring that Tucker is merely trying to squeeze more money out of the Dodgers, which admittedly is a possibility.

We learned more about the Mets’ offer to Tucker. Jim Duquette reported that the offer now may be be four years instead of three at $50 million a year, with the possibility of multiple opt-outs. Duquette added that Steve Cohen is personally involved in the process. Oh baby, it is on like Donkey Kong if Uncle Steve is involved. And according to Michael Marino, the Mets’ offer does NOT include deferrals. 

While the likes of Jon Heyman and Ken Rosenthal wrote of their skepticism over the Mets potentially investing over $100 million a year on two right fielders when they need help elsewhere, Jeff Passan made a salient point. The fact of the matter is that the free agent hitting classes of 2026-27 and 2027-28 leave a lot to be desired. Next offseason’s class is headlined by Nico Hoerner, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Randy Arozarena, while the one after has Jeremy Pena, William Contreras, Adley Rutschman, and a 38-year-old Freddie Freeman. So to acquire Tucker, Cody Bellinger, or Bo Bichette might very well be crucial to a team’s success over the next few years. And with Bellinger seemingly wanting to make it work with the Yankees and Bichette being pursued by multiple teams that aren’t the Mets, Tucker stands alone as the Mets’ last hope to acquire sufficient protection for Juan Soto. 

Which scares me. With each passing day we don’t hear from the tall drink of water (6’4”), the possibility grows that the skeptics are right and/or the Blue Jays up their offer. (The latest rumor? They can up it to 10 years!) If not Tucker, then the Mets’ outfield solution is likely to be trading for St. Louis’ Lars Nootbaar. With all due respect to Mr. Nootbaar: cripes!

The pitching market didn’t wait for Tucker’s decision to get moving yesterday. The Boston Red Sox signed former Phillies LHP Ranger Suarez to a five-year, $130 million contract. That’s good and bad news for the Mets. It’s good that Suarez is now the American League’s problem and not in New York (NL)”s division. It’s bad that if the Mets have actual keen interest in free agent pitchers Framber Valdez they will probably have to go past their comfort zone of three years or fewer. (Consider that way back when the Blue Jays signed Dylan Cease to an eight year pact.) Tarik Skubal will reportedly cost a fortune and a half, so the Brewers ace Freddy Peralta is probably the best pitcher available via trade. Passan wrote that Brandon Sproat is the most likely to be dealt amongst the three amigos (Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong being the others), so get ready to learn Milwaukese, buddy. (Ideally of course the Mets wouldn’t have to part with any of them.) 

Ron Darling was a guest on The Show, where this time around he was okay with talking about the Mets. He said the failed Edwin Díaz negotiations is something the Mets wished they had back. Well yeah.

Jesse Orosco kibbitzed with Jay Horwitz.

On this day in 1963, the New York City Council voted to name the new ballpark for the Mets after William Shea. If I remember right, Shea was confused because usually ballparks and other buildings tend to be named after deceased people, which at the time he was decidedly not.