Toronto Blue Jays miss out on Kyle Tucker as he signs new deal

On Thursday, Tucker and the Dodgers reached an agreement on a free agent contract, and Jays fans felt that familiar gut drop.

Toronto has been linked to Tucker for weeks, and the fit always made too much sense. Left field thump, left-handed balance, and a star name that actually changes October odds.

The Dodgers fit makes sense too, because the Dodgers always make sense. They stack talent, they find payroll angles, and they dare the rest of baseball to keep up.

Here is the post that kicked the whole thing into overdrive, and it is why the Blue Jays conversation flipped so fast.

As a fan, I am tired of hearing that Toronto was «in it» when the headline finally hits Los Angeles.

Tucker turns 29 next week, he bats left, and he was the fifth overall pick in 2015 by the Houston Astros, so this was never going to be a bargain story. The Blue Jays needed the kind of impact that changes how pitchers attack the middle of the order.

The baseball part hurts because the Jays still have a good roster core, and adding Tucker would have shortened a lot of at-bats for opponents. Without him, the lineup pressure stays on the same names, and that is how slumps turn into standings problems.

Now the front office has to pivot fast, because the offseason clock does not pause for heartbreak. The next milestone is the counterpunch signing or trade, something that tells the clubhouse Toronto is not done swinging.

Also read on Toronto Baseball Insider :
Kyle Tucker expected date for his contract decision has finally been announced