It remains uncertain what the Philadelphia Phillies plan to do with Kyle Schwarber, but there's a reason to believe that he could return. If not, the Phillies need to focus their attention elsewhere, attempting to sign Kyle Tucker.
Tucker, one of the five best hitters in Major League Baseball, is expected to get a massive payday. For the Phillies, there's a good chance there will be a $500 million-plus offer that has to entice him to leave the Chicago Cubs in free agency.
There will be other teams interested, too, but according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, one of them likely won't be the New York Yankees, which is excellent news for the Phillies.
"They had interest in trading for Kyle Tucker this past offseason before the Cubs traded for him," Kirschner wrote. "With how the Cubs (and Tucker) are playing, I would imagine Chicago will try its best in re-signing him long-term. Otherwise, what is the point of trading for him (unless they win the World Series)? Recent history suggests the Yankees won't be the team that lands Tucker in free agency. When was the last time the Yankees landed a major external position player?"
The last thing the Phillies want is for the Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cubs, New York Mets, and a few others to all be interested in Tucker.
If they can eliminate the Yankees, Dodgers, and some others and only have to worry about the Cubs, there's a chance they could poach him.
Tucker has continued to be as good as advertised, posting a 167 OPS+ and slashing .291/.399/.534.
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