BRONX, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 21: Yankees principal owner Hal Steinbrenner speaks during a press conference at Yankee Stadium on December 21, 2022 in Bronx, New York. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
Getty Images
The New York Yankees face a challenging winter after yet another season of dashed championship hopes.
The team made a strong pivot away from star outfielder Juan Soto last year, bringing in the collection of Cody Bellinger, Devin Williams, Max Fried and others to replace him with a more holistic approach to the roster. But that resulted in another relatively early playoff exit despite a consecutive Most Valuable Player Award season from Aaron Judge.
Now the Yankees could be looking to make a splashier addition to the team, even if it means breaking the bank. And signing Kyle Tucker to a blockbuster contract would be the surest way to do that.
“Last offseason, the Yankees offered Soto a 16-year, $760 million contract and made a concerted effort to acquire Tucker in a trade,” Ken Rosenthal and others reported for The Athletic. “After continually hitting the same ceiling — 90-plus wins and zero World Series titles in the past 16 years — now would be a good time to circle back to Tucker and see how much damage his swing could do at Yankee Stadium.”
With several significant financial commitments already on the books, the Yankees might find it hard to sign Tucker while staying below the luxury tax threshold. Tucker is likely to command a long-term contract in the $350 million to $400 million range, with several big market teams appearing to be good fits.
But the Yankees have been predicted to win the sweepstakes for his services with a contract on the low end of that spectrum, with Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly predicting the Yankees would land Tucker with a 10-year, $360 million blockbuster deal.
“We’ve picked the Yankees to land Tucker, essentially giving them a big-money corner outfielder to make up for the loss of Juan Soto last winter,” Kelly wrote. “Ultimately, we expect there to be a club that gives Tucker a 10-year deal.”
Tucker enjoyed a stellar first half in this past season that earned him an All-Star bid before an injury derailed his tenure with the Chicago Cubs. Though that might have hurt his earning power a bit, he’s still the consensus top free agent on the market and his bat would be an impact addition alongside Judge for years to come.
The Yankees could find a way to make room for a significant new contract, particularly if last year’s outfielders Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger, who are also free agents, leave for contracts with new teams.