00:00Is the Mets president of baseball operations, David Stearns, feeling the pressure to bring
00:04Cal Tucker to Queens?
00:06Reports indicate they've offered Tucker a massive 50 million AAV over three years.
00:12Y'all know I love talking Mets baseball with Tyler Ward.
00:15So let's bring my guy in.
00:16Tyler, what's going on, man?
00:19Brandon, happy new year.
00:20How are you?
00:21All's well.
00:22I feel even better if they can land Cal Tucker.
00:24We see the reports that Stearns isn't offering him a long-term contract.
00:30In fact, he's not offering long-term contracts to any players that are nearing 30.
00:36Players want that stability and that guarantee, hence why Pete Alonzo is in Baltimore.
00:41The Blue Jays are reportedly offering Cal Tucker a long-term deal.
00:46So do you think that Stearns is going to have to play a little ball and go up in years to land Tucker?
00:52And would he be worth Stearns going against his own process?
00:58Oh, great question, Brandon, because we actually have some breaking news that dropped right before we started recording here.
01:04So it's a perfect way for me to announce it.
01:06Jim Duquette of S&Y did relay that it's very likely that they've already went four years now for Kyle Tucker.
01:13And I came out with a piece very early this morning on my platform breaking down how they're very well at four years, 200 million now.
01:18So absolutely, to answer your question, yes, they can't stop at three years, 150, because as much as that is an absurd average annual value of a contract.
01:26And for context, Brandon, $50 million a year is $1 million less than what Juan Soto makes with his base salary a season.
01:33So this is big money spending we're talking right now.
01:36But in order to pry Tucker away from both the Blue Jays and the Dodgers, especially are lurking for that short-term high AV offer, the Mets and David Stearns must be diligent and be adamant that they not only want Tucker, but they continue to reaffirm that they're going to do everything that they possibly can to land him.
01:54Now, obviously, the big question is, is will Tucker have an appetite to take a shorter-term contract?
01:59And that's something that we don't really have an answer to as of the time of us talking.
02:03But when we can compare and contrast what the Mets have done versus what the Blue Jays have done, it really is going to come down to, I think, the most immediate money, as well as, obviously, what Tucker is going to be most comfortable with heading into the 2026 season.
02:15So let's talk about him on the defensive side of the ball.
02:19Juan Soto is already playing right field, so it's more than likely that Tucker is going to move over to left.
02:25Do you think that he can play at a Golden Glove level in left field the way that he did in right?
02:33Yeah, you know, it's interesting because Tucker has fluctuated quite a bit with his defensive value in his career.
02:38He's had some really good years in Houston where he's looked like an absolutely superb talent, like a truly five-tole talent.
02:44Then we've seen years, including this past season, where the defense took a bit of a hit, but it's also bearing in mind he was adjusting the Wrigley field for the first time in his career for half a season and also dealt with ailment towards the end of said season.
02:56So I think Tucker's defense is going to be fine, to simply put.
02:59I think that there's going to be a greater ceiling in what you're getting than, say, what you previously had in Brandon Nimmo.
03:04But I also wouldn't be surprised if the Mets get very creative on how they go about the configuration because Kyle Tucker on paper right now, as we know, is obviously a better defender than Juan Soto.
03:13Juan Soto is arguably the worst defensive right fielder in baseball.
03:17So naturally, it wouldn't make a level of sense if the Mets actually, if they do land Kyle Tucker, maybe shift him to right, give Soto some reps and left, whether that's consistent or something that they just kind of alternate throughout the season.
03:29Because Soto is, in fact, going to be playing left field for Team Dominican Republic in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
03:35So to be determined to see how the Mets' defensive configuration will be.
03:39But do I think the Mets would be essentially signing Tucker as a liability defensively?
03:43No, I do not.
03:44I think he still has the potential to be, at minimum, an average defender and, at maximum, that gold glove caliber guy again that we hopefully will see in the coming years.
03:52Let's flip it to the offensive side because if you pair these two up, you have arguably the most disciplined and dangerous lefty duo in baseball history.
04:02But would this be a better duo offensively than Soto and Pete Alonzo?
04:09Great question as well.
04:11And from an offensive standpoint, you can make the argument no in the sense of Pete Alonzo is the guy that's going to be notorious for driving in the most runs, hitting the most home runs.
04:21And it's really, really hard to find a proper replacement.
04:24But I think when looking at plate approach in particular and discipline, without a doubt, the Mets would be upgrading in that regard because Kyle Tucker and Juan Soto are two of the best eyes of all Major League Baseball.
04:34And the idea of them batting back-to-back in the live together would do absurd damage to opposing pitching because we all know how elite Soto is doing his little shuffle, shaking his little butt out there.
04:44But Tucker, without a shuffle, still has a very elite eye at the plate and approaches his game very similarly to how Juan Soto does.
04:52So there is no denying that should the Mets bring this duo together, two of the best outfielders in baseball from an offensive standpoint, the two biggest free agents that have hit the market each of the past two years from an outfield standpoint.
05:03While we love Pete Alonzo, Kyle Tucker is undoubtedly the better overall player and is a guy that I think would help steer the Mets in a winning direction as he obviously knows a thing or two about winning championships during his time there in Houston.
05:17I love how you said, should they bring this duo together?
05:21I feel like there's a lot of pressure on David Stearns to bring this duo together coming off that disappointing 83-win season.
05:29And it's been a pretty quiet winter so far.
05:32There are a lot of fans, as you know, Wardy, that feel like he's moving backward while the Dodgers continue to stack up stars.
05:38So in your opinion, does David Stearns have to sign Kyle Tucker to maintain his credibility as the man who can build a championship-like roster?
05:49Or can he actually afford to walk away if the bidding war with the Blue Jays gets a little bit too high?
05:55I'm going to be completely honest by saying I do think he can afford to walk away, and here's why.
06:02If Kyle Tucker gets a long-term contract from the Toronto Blue Jays' worth of 10 years with absurd commitment,
06:08you can only fault the Mets so much for not wanting to go there when they already have their own rightful long-term commitment to Juan Soto and one corner outfield as is.
06:15I understand the David Stearns philosophy by being deterred from long-term contracts for guys that are getting close to 30.
06:21And Kyle Tucker's a unique one because he's turning 29 this Saturday, and he's someone that we expect to give you a lot of value,
06:28but you're more than likely going to get the best value out of him over the next five years.
06:32So should the Mets do everything in their power to land Tucker?
06:35Absolutely. That's what they're doing right now. It isn't for a lack of effort.
06:37If the Mets don't land Tucker, do I think that that'll make it a massive failure of an offseason for the Mets?
06:42Not necessarily. However, it does make it a lot less likely that the Mets are going to be able to put out a product on paper
06:49that we know currently that's going to have Mets fans satisfied heading into next season.
06:53Every Mets fan and their mother, for the most part, that I've talked to is more than content with Pete Alonzo leaving
06:59if Kyle Tucker is essentially our consolation prize or the reason as to why we allowed Alonzo to walk all this time.
07:06If that is, in fact, the route the Mets go down and actually prevail in the end, then a lot of Mets fans are going to be happy.
07:12But if they do not land with him, there are very few options out there that I think will satisfy fans,
07:17not to the same degree as Tucker, but at least have us feeling like, OK, we have a good roster heading into next season.
07:23I'm cautiously optimistic. So that's where I kind of feel at this point in time regarding that.
07:28Well, who are some of those names that could be the consolation prize if they don't get Tucker?
07:34Cody Ballinger, without a doubt. And I think it's really the writing on the wall that the Mets are going to land
07:38while these players in the end take away a grain of salt. I said the exact same thing about Pete Alonzo
07:43and Edwin Diaz, and neither of them are New York Mets right now. But knowing that Cody Ballinger
07:47is a Scott Boris client, for those that don't know, Steve Cohen has spent more money on Scott Boris
07:51clients than any other ownership group in baseball since he became owner five years ago.
07:56They have a very good rapport and relationship together. And Cody Ballinger has everything that
08:00the Mets want in a player. And the only reason, truthfully, that I believe that the Mets may not land
08:04Ballinger is because they know the ceiling with Tucker is greater from an offensive
08:08and potentially a leadership standpoint. But Ballinger is a tremendous clubhouse character.
08:13He's been a winner everywhere he's been, from L.A. to Chicago to now New York.
08:16And that emphasis on New York really rings true here because David Stearns wants guys that can
08:21handle big markets that have shown success. And that's why you're seeing the continuation of
08:25the Mets prying a lot of these former Yankees to Queens. It has so much less to do about them
08:30being a Yankee as it has so much more to do about them handling the New York market. I cannot
08:34emphasize that enough. So Cody Ballinger, undoubtedly, I would say is at the tip of
08:38top of the list should Kyle Tucker make his decision beforehand. And everything that we're
08:42seeing right now is suggesting that Tucker is going to make his decision as soon as this
08:47week, where Cody Ballinger will probably be the next man up as soon as that domino finally
08:51falls. Clock's ticking. Pitchers and catchers report to Port St. Lucie in under a month.
08:57Baseball's right around the corner. Wardy, I'm sure we're going to be coming back to you soon,
09:01my man. Thanks for hopping on with us. Thanks so much, Brandon. Have a great one.
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