The offseason was a suspenseful affair with regard to Kyle Tucker, the most sought-after free agent this winter and one who took longer than expected to be signed. In the end, the Dodgers were the ones who managed to convince him with a deal that suited his interests. But the player did not want to go to Los Angeles! Of all the offers he was eager to hear, there was one that excited him; however, when it was put on the table, it did not satisfy his intentions, because he wanted a little more than what was offered. It was the Blue Jays’ proposal that he was excited to be their reinforcement.
Toronto outfielder Whit Merrifield has revealed what really happened with the negotiation between the Blue Jays and Tucker so that the transfer was not fruitful. The detail was in the reduction of the amount compared to the extension of the term as an element of the franchise.
But when he signed, his agent texted me and said, ‘Hey, you know the Jays were… Kyle really wanted to go to Toronto.’ The Jays offered him 10 years for $350 million, which ended up coming to light. They needed a little bit more based on Kyle, his market and comparable contracts
In concrete terms, $35 million a year for a decade is not bad at all, but Tucker was in a position to be demanding and was not going to give in. This is when the Dodgers appear to offer what the player wanted to hear: more money for fewer years.
And Toronto just wasn’t willing to go above $35 million a year, and you know every team has a different valuation for every player. So Toronto felt his value was $35 million a year for 10 years, which is an incredible offer. But the Dodgers came along and said, “How about $60 million a year?” So it’s hard to say no to that
If Toronto had gone for a shorter-term contract, say $35 million over five years, Kyle would probably be on the Blue Jays’ roster right now. The fact is that they went for a very high time frame for the player’s pretensions and that was the key to losing him.
Mets, Dodgers and Blue Jays in battle
The third team that could have had Kyle Tucker on its roster was the New York franchise. Being aware of the negotiation that the player was having with Toronto, the Mets prepared their offer.The problem with the New York organization is that they took too long to present it. They were confident that they would be ahead of the game in negotiations, but they did not count on Los Angeles’ cleverness to get involved quickly and effectively to convince Tucker.
Read the full article here
