After the 2025 season, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. loomed as the best free agent. He had teams such as the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and others salivating at the possibility of landing such a dynamic player in the middle of his prime.
But with Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays in agreement on a mammoth 14-year, $500 million contract extension – which contains no deferred money – it takes the best free agent off the board. And opens up the door for Tucker to cash in.
The fact Guerrero Jr. did an extension before free agency, especially months after watching Juan Soto sign a $765 million contract, is surprising. But a $500 million contract for a first baseman is almost impossible to turn down. He’s also comfortable in Toronto, can play his entire career with the franchise he came up with, and will be the face of the Blue Jays for as long as two decades.
For Guerrero Jr., it was a no-brainer once the Blue Jays got the contract to $500 million with no deferrals. For Tucker, however, it won’t be that easy.
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Kyle Tucker has less reason to sign an extension than Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Tucker was traded to the Chicago Cubs this offseason. After Soto signed his mega-deal with the New York Mets, any possibility of an extension was thrown out the window. He was going to become a free agent. He would listen to every suitor and attempt to land the richest deal possible.
What teams could be interested in Tucker? Try almost every big market team, ranging from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the New York Mets to the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees, perhaps even the San Diego Padres, though the financial constraints in San Diego could limit any potential pursuit of Tucker.
How could they not be interested in Tucker? When healthy, he’s one of the most dynamic players in baseball, and is somehow incredibly underrated. In seven seasons in Houston, he hit .274/.353/.516 with 125 home runs and 417 RBI. He made three All-Star teams and finished as high as fifth in the MVP race in 2023.
Kyle Tucker is only increasing his value with the Chicago Cubs
Since being traded to Chicago, he’s thrived. Tucker is hitting .319/.458/.745 with five home runs and 15 RBI. He was named National League Player of the Week and leads the NL in home runs, RBI, hits, runs, OPS and WAR.
A player of Tucker’s caliber is going to land an absolute mega deal in free agency, especially if he continues at this pace. He’ll enter next season in his age-29 season and while he won’t land a contract close to Soto’s, it’s fair to expect Tucker to eclipse Guerrero Jr.’s deal – especially considering that he plays in the outfield and is a Gold Glove-caliber defender.
Tucker’s free agency will be the most discussed all winter. But there’s zero chance he signs an extension before reaching free agency and there’s a great chance this will be his first and last season in Chicago – unless team owner Tom Ricketts backs up the Brink trucks to retain the superstar outfielder, though he has shown zero appetite to do so in recent seasons.