Mets lose Kyle Tucker sweepstakes to Dodgers despite reportedly offering substantial contract

The New York Mets have been one of the biggest losers of the MLB offseason so far. Not only did they watch Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz leave, but they’ve also failed to make any significant additions.

We’re talking about a team that was projected to be a legitimate contender out of the NL last season but wound up falling flat in the final stretch of the campaign.

And while they have one of the most prominent farm systems in the game and still have plenty of talent on the roster, watching Kyle Tucker, their primary offseason target, join the Los Angeles Dodgers was yet another massive gut punch.

To add insult to injury, it seems that the Dodgers’ offer wasn’t even that much better. For major sports standards, Tucker chose the Dodgers over the Mets because of pocket change.

$20M cost the Mets a chance at Kyle Tucker

Tucker got a four-year, $240M deal to join the reigning World Series champions. Per Jim Duquette of MLB Network, that’s just $20M more than the Mets offered him.

“A MLB source confirmed the Mets offer was 4 years at $220 million,” Duquette wrote on X. 

Of course, $20M is life-changing money for most people, but not for superstar athletes or an MLB team. 

Money should never be an issue for Mets owner Steve Cohen, especially when it comes to landing the most-coveted player in all of baseball after losing two stars in the same offseason.

The Mets’ late-season collapse still stings, and they clearly still haven’t licked their wounds and gotten back on their feet. As for the Dodgers, they will continue to spend big bucks for as long as no one else poses a legitimate threat to sign any of their targets.

As much as the fans can complain about the way they operate, no one is stopping every other owner and team in the league from doing what they do, or at least trying.