Report: Kyle Tucker visited Blue Jays’ facility

Adding Tucker would be a significant game-changer for the Blue Jays. Last season with the Chicago Cubs, Tucker slashed .266/.277/.464 with 22 home runs in 597 plate appearances for a 136 wRC+. This was a down year for the outfielder as he’s good for about 30 home runs a season, albeit his wRC+ was just slightly below his career wRC+ of 138.

Not only is adding Tucker like adding a second Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but he’s also a fit in so many different ways. He can hit for average, rarely strikes, is an above-average defender, and can hit upwards of 25 home runs in a season. Not just that, but Tucker and Myles Straw were in the same draft class of the Houston Astros back in 2015. Earlier this off-season, Jeff Passan reported that the Blue Jays were viewed as the favourite to land his services.

That said, a player visiting the Jays’ training facility isn’t exactly groundbreaking news, as it’s highly regarded among baseball circles. It wouldn’t be surprising if quite a few targets end up visiting the facility, especially those who live in the area like Tucker. At the very least, it confirms interest between the two parties.

This is a bit reminiscent of the Shohei Ohtani pursuit two off-seasons ago. On Dec. 4, 2023, Ohtani visited the facility, and it was reported on the following day. Three days after the report that he visited the facility, it was falsely reported that Ohtani was on a plane to Toronto. Then on Dec. 11, Ohtani announced via his Instagram that he signed with the Dodgers.

The Jays went on to pivot to signing Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Kevin Kiermaier, and a handful of other players as they finished the 2024 season 74-88, due in large part to regression. Thankfully, players like Alejandro Kirk, George Springer, and Bo Bichette all bounced back in 2025, nearly winning it all.

If the Jays miss out on Tucker, they’ve already made bigger moves than they did two off-seasons ago, agreeing to terms with Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce to shore up their rotation. There’s also another player of interest, none other than Bichette.

It’s going to be fun to see how this off-season shapes up.