
The New York Mets‘ interest in star free agent Kyle Tucker is real. The Mets are among the three main teams remaining that are heavily involved in the Tucker sweepstakes, a source confirmed to Sirius XM and SNY’s Jim Duquette late Sunday night.
A League source confirmed to me that the three main teams involved in the Tucker negotiations (Tor, LAD, NYM) have all met with the player, either in person or over Zoom, as part of the recruiting process for a star player. Will be interesting to see if any of the 3 teams…
— Jim Duquette (@JimDuquetteGM) January 12, 2026
Whether it was in-person or over Zoom, the Mets (along with the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers) met with Tucker and his representatives. The Mets meeting took place on Thursday, one source said. It has been said that the meeting went well and the Mets remain “cautiously optimistic” about their chances to land Tucker.
Tucker would be a huge addition to this Mets team. This offseason alone, they lost two star players this offseason in Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz. The team also traded away longtime fan-favorite Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil.
If the Mets were to sign Tucker, he would presumably slide into right field, moving Juan Soto over to left. Tucker makes sense given the Mets’ need of a left fielder, or at the least another outfielder.
While Tucker saw his defensive (and offensive) game slip up a bit last season in the second half (due to injury), he would be a significant upgrade in right field over Soto as he is a one-time Gold Glove award winner with the Houston Astros back in 2022.
Tucker, who will turn 29 on Jan. 17, would greatly improve the Mets’ lineup , especially after losing Alonso. Tucker is coming off an injury affected season where he posted a .266/.377/..464 slash line, with 22 home runs, 73 RBI and 25 stolen bases in 136 games.
For his career, Tucker boasts a .273/.358/.507 slash line with 147 home runs, 490 RBI, and a .865 OPS in 769 games. The four-time All-Star is currently sifting through his options with the Mets among them.
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