Watch the Kyle Tucker rumors closely, the aftershocks mean a lot to the NY Mets

The trade of Brandon Nimmo opened up an exciting possibility of signing Kyle Tucker this offseason. As far-out as it may be to add him about 365 days after signing Juan Soto to his record-breaking contract, it doesn’t mean New York Mets fans can ignore all of the ongoing Tucker rumors.

Spotted at the Toronto Blue Jays’ spring training facility already, it seems like Toronto is serious enough to entertain the idea of paying him significant money to join their AL Pennant defense and take things a step further. The other major suitor for him, the Los Angeles Dodgers, can take notice and send him an invite, too.

Tucker to the Mets doesn’t seem to have much traction whatsoever. It doesn’t mean it can’t happen, as extreme of an offseason as it would be. Our focus on the Tucker rumors are more about the fallout. The moment he signs, someone is going to be angry and look for a resolution somewhere else. Entirely different players at different positions, stealing Edwin Diaz is the first thing any ball club could do as a result of losing Tucker.

Mets free agent Edwin Diaz is a part of the Kyle Tucker backup plan for many teams

Think about which teams keep appearing in the mix for Tucker. The Blue Jays. The Dodgers. Even the New York Yankees. All of them are getting mentioned as Diaz suitors. The Athletic’s Jim Bowden is even hoping Diaz goes to The Bronx. Don’t worry, we get Framber Valdez for 7 years. ::insert an emoji of negative emotions here::

One isn’t to one when it comes to free agency. Losing out on Tucker doesn’t mean the only immediate knee jerk reaction is to go nuts and add the second base corner outfielder. The plan can be completely redirected toward shoring up your…wait for it…run prevention abilities.

No doubt a priority for teams who lose out on Tucker will be some of the top suitors for players such as Cody Bellinger or even a trade for a star like Fernando Tatis Jr. In the immediate aftermath of Tucker hypothetically signing with the Dodgers ::insert that same negative emoji here::, the first thing the Blue Jays need to consider is taking Diaz off the market to ensure he doesn’t 1) sign with the Dodgers, too and 2) doesn’t end up spurning them the way many have in recent winters.

It’s not realistic for a team to sign Tucker and Diaz with the Mets being the closest to an exception because they wouldn’t lose additional draft picks. Even the most optimistic fans realize Tucker is a little too far out of the realm of possibility, however. A popular free agent who can do Juan Soto stuff on a smaller scale at a more reasonable dollar amount, there is room for clubs to go a little further with their offers to him and their offers.

We should quietly hope it’s the Blue Jays who get him because they seem like the team with the biggest need to sign Diaz. The Dodgers, Yankees, and everyone else have other ways to make up for missing out.