How Kyle Tucker's Predicted Deal Will the 2026 Free Agent Class

"comp that kept coming up with those we surveyed," McDaniel said. "Vlad's extension kicks in next year for his age-27 season, while Tucker will be 29. It's only two years, but it's a very important two years in projecting the value in a long-term deal. Tucker has more baserunning and positional value, but he's still a corner outfielder. Guerrero's extension was signed outside of a competitive bidding situation, with the perception being that the Jays paid a little more than the market would bear to lock up their franchise player after a last-place American League East finish last season and with fellow core player Bo Bichette still unsigned.

"Who are Tucker's potential suitors? There was little confidence from those surveyed (none of whom work for the Cubs) about the Cubs winning a bidding war for Tucker. The Los Angeles Dodgers, longtime fans of Tucker, were mentioned by a number of industry insiders. We didn't ask about a projected team, so the Dodgers coming up often seems to be indicative of a feeling in the industry that they're the team to beat. Putting all of those pieces together, you can see why a contingent of the industry thinks Tucker will land somewhere around Guerrero's extension, some think he'll end up closer to $300 million, but most have him around $400 million, give or take, which is also where Jeff Passan's sources led him."

That's a good chunk of change and the entire free agent market will hinge on it. Last year, Soto was pursued by teams like the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, and a few others. Right when Soto signed with the Mets, things thawed out. The Yankees signed a few guys, including Max Fried, Paul Goldschmidt. The Red Sox acquired Garrett Crochet and eventually signed Alex Bregman. The Dodgers are the Dodgers and struck, including with Blake Snell.

There is some star talent available and whatever Tucker gets will impact how each team handles their offseason spending, or at least the big-market teams.

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