Aug 14, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets owner Steve Cohen stands on the field before a ceremony to honor first baseman Pete Alonso (not pictured) for breaking the Mets all time home run record before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Steve Cohen's Failed Kyle Tucker Recruiting Tactic Revealed

Originally posted on New York Mets on SI | By Grant Young | Last updated Jan 20, 2026 5:00 PM ET

It's no secret that before Kyle Tucker signed a four-year, $240 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers last week, the New York Mets were one of the finalists to sign him.

In fact, talks reached the point where the Mets offered Tucker a four-year, $220 million deal with a big signing bonus and multiple player opt-outs to help sweeten the deal. And New York clearly thought this staggering $55 million Average Annual Value (AAV) would be enough to bring Tucker to Queens before the two-time defending World Series champions swooped in.

In hindsight, perhaps it's for the best that the Mets missed out on Tucker. Not only do they already have a left-handed slugger in right field in Juan Soto (who still has 14 more seasons on his contract), but they also pivoted to signing Bo Bichette on a three-year, $126 million deal.

Not only does Bichette help balance out the Mets' lineup because he's a right-handed hitter, but it also affords Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns enough left over in his budget to potentially sign either Cody Bellinger or one of the top free agent pitchers still available, like Framber Valdez or Zac Gallen.

But the bottom like is that the Mets were all-in on Tucker less than two weeks ago.

Insider shared Steve Cohen's unique Kyle Tucker courting strategy

Kyle Tucker is married, and his pregnant wife is named Samantha. And in a January 19 article, Joel Sherman of the New York Post revealed that not only did Mets Owner Steve Cohen hop on a Zoom call to speak with Tucker personally, but he had his wife, Alex, do a separate Zoom call with Samantha Tucker to help sell them on the Mets' family atmosphere.

This is actually a genius strategy for Cohen to employ for one clear reason: it worked with Juan Soto. It has been widely reported that the Mets' familial atmosphere and recruiting pitch were a large reason why Soto decided to sign with the Mets over their cross-town rival Yankees.

Sherman also noted that Los Angeles seemed like a better fit for Tucker, given his more laid-back personality and the fact that he'd slot in among the Dodgers' current stars better than behind Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor.

Ultimately, perhaps it was for the best that this meeting between Samantha Tucker and Alex Cohen didn't end with Tucker joining the Mets.

This article first appeared on New York Mets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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