The Toronto Blue Jays have a chip on their shoulder after losing the 2025 World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers. It's shown in their aggressive, early signing of Dylan Cease and in some of their other rumored free agency pursuits.
MLB insider Jon Heyman linked the Blue Jays to the top free agent outfielder of the winter, Kyle Tucker (subscription required). Heyman noted that Toronto doesn't really need Tucker in its outfield with the likes of Nathan Lukes, Addison Barger, Anthony Santander, Daulton Varsho, George Springer and more in its outfield mix, but it's willing to go above and beyond.
The Boston Red Sox have been named as a fit for Tucker by a few reporters or insiders this offseason, but the link doesn't make a ton of sense. The Red Sox's outfield logjam is already too deep, with Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Roman Anthony, Jhostynxon Garcia, Kristian Campbell and Masataka Yoshida all in need of jobs. Even if Tucker doesn't suit Boston's needs, the Jays' pursuit of him is concerning.
The Blue Jays outmatched the Red Sox offensively last year, largely due to Boston's streakiness. Springer finished the season with 32 homers and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. flashed his true potential in the playoffs after a slight offensive regression following his mega-etxension. Adding Tucker, who routinely hits 20-30 homers a year to that mix would be dangerous, especially if Anthony Santander rebounds to his usual 20-30 home run capabilities.
Blue Jays coveting Kyle Tucker despite not needing him in their outfield should concern Red Sox who don't want to overspend
Toronto already signed Cease to a seven-year, $210 million deal no other team would match (the Red Sox were in on him to the end). The Jays' willingness to overpay Cease, as well as their presence in the Tucker market without a real need for an outfielder, shows they're going all-in to assert themselves as a top team in the AL East.
This is particularly troubling after Sean McAdam's report that the Red Sox are uncomfortable spending over the second luxury tax threshold this offseason (subscription required). Boston incurred a $1 million penalty for going over the first CBT threshold last season, and it's sure to pay more this offseason after the acquisition of Sonny Gray and its other offseason moves are complete. But the Red Sox are one of the most profitable teams in MLB, and no matter what the front office says, additional luxury tax penalties wouldn't push them into operating at a loss.
A report circulated that Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner would like to reduce his club's payroll, but that may not be able to happen while advancing its playoff aspirations. The Blue Jays are coveting players they don't need to improve their offense at any cost. Meanwhile, the Red Sox have their best young players under contract for the foreseeable future, and they're making excuses to justify spending less.
If Toronto lands Tucker, its offense will be so fierce that Boston may have to sign two big bats this offseason to compete, which it seems reluctant to do. Year in and year out, the Red Sox declare that they're serious about competing in the AL East, but only do enough to convince fans that they're trying while other teams go above and beyond, such as the Dodgers, Mets, Yankees and Jays. As long as Boston is committed to its self-imposed spending limits, it should hope its division rivals don't land their preferred free agent targets — that's its only hope to be taken seriously.