Full details on Kyle Tuckers new contract announced

On Thursday, reporting out of the ESPN circle said Tucker has an agreement with the Dodgers, ending Toronto's chase before it ever reached a press conference.

The money detail is what makes your jaw tighten. ESPN's Jesse Rogers reported the deal at four years and $240 million, with an opt-out after the second year, though the clubs have not announced anything publicly yet.

Tucker was looking for a long term deal but it looks like he was willing to pass that up for a $60 million per year.

This is the kind of headline that makes Jays fans mutter, here we go again, because «close» does not add runs in April.

The opt-out after two seasons is the tell, if Rogers' reporting holds.Tucker gets a monster annual number now, then can jump back into the market quickly if everything clicks in Los Angeles.

The Dodgers angle is annoyingly logical, because they can absorb risk better than anyone. They were already linked to a shorter, high-dollar Tucker structure in the rumor cycle, and this matches that exact shape.

Toronto's fallout is not just about losing Tucker, it is about losing the cleanest solution. A middle-order bat changes how opponents pitch to everyone else, and now the Jays have to manufacture that upgrade through a messier pivot.

My opinion is the front office cannot sell «process» much longer. If Tucker is truly off the board, the next milestone has to be a real impact move, not another depth signing that hopes to get hot.