A new report on the New York Mets‘ pursuit of star outfielder Kyle Tucker suggests President David Stearns is deviating from a major offseason goal to land the four-time All-Star.
After letting Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz walk in free agency, and trading Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil to get better long-term payroll flexibility, it seemed like the NY Mets may not make the big offseason splash fans were hoping for. Especially following a historic late-season collapse.
The various signs over the last couple of months seemed to suggest David Stearns wants the roster to get younger, but also far better on defense. It is believed to be a key reason why they shipped fan-favorite Nimmo to Texas to acquire Gold Glove winner Marcus Semien in November.
He confirmed as much this week when he told NY Mets beat writers that opposing coaches and executives told him after the season that their defense “wasn’t close to good enough.”
In recent days, they have emerged as a serious contender for the player viewed as the best available in MLB free agency this offseason, Kyle Tucker. The Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs veteran was projected to get a contract worth close to $400 million. But that looks unlikely, so he is now considering short-term deals for a high annual average.
Stearns prefers shorter deals, and a huge new report on Tuesday from Robert Murray claimed the club is willing to give him as much as $50 million annually to bring his talents to Queens for a few seasons.
NY Mets Breaking From Defensive Plan for Kyle Tucker?
On paper, Tucker seems like a great addition. He will only turn 29 this week, and the four-time All-Star would make a formidable one-two punch with Juan Soto in the middle of the NY Mets lineup. Plus, he is a former Gold Glove winner (2022) and twice was a finalist for the award.
However, Ken Rosenthal explained on Wednesday that the metrics-driven Stearns seems to be ignoring some important stats about Tucker and is breaking away from the plan to improve the defense.
“[Tucker] has since declined in right field, and according to Outs Above Average, was a worse defensive outfielder last season than Brandon Nimmo,” Rosenthal wrote. “By the same metric, the Mets’ current $51 million per year man, Juan Soto, was the worst defensive right fielder in the game.”
Surprisingly, Stearns is foregoing defense, even after his rivals suggested he needs to improve it, to get Tucker. Especially with center field possibly being manned by a rookie in Carson Benge next season. However, the combo of Soto and Tucker in their primes, along with Francisco Lindor, is a tantalizing idea that he must feel offers potential that surpasses the defensive drawbacks.
