NY Mets rumors: Kyle Tucker hasn't been ruled out, a major trade would be needed

It didn’t take long for New York Mets rumors to begin this year. Maybe it’s because an early exit after 162 regular season games already had insiders digging up what was next for one of the league’s most disappointing ball clubs.

Routinely throughout the Steve Cohen era, the hype has been about which big name free agent they’d sign. It began with a trade and extension for Francisco Lindor ahead of the 2021 season. The following offseason was even bigger with Max Scherzer being the biggest ticket. Justin Verlander joined the following year.

Last year’s headliner was Juan Soto, arguably the biggest free agent splash he could have possibly greenlit. There isn’t anyone close to that level available this offseason with the closest being outfielder Kyle Tucker. As the NY Post’s Jon Heyman wrote, one NL executive believes it’s possible for the Mets to squeeze him in if they're able to find a taker for one of their core players.

The Mets can find room for Kyle Tucker, but only if they trade Brandon Nimmo

Tucker is coming off of a down year with the Chicago Cubs. He hit one less home run than the previous season despite significantly more playing time. It was a good season for a quality corner outfielder yet hardly the kind of performance a soon-to-be free agent with $400 million headed his way wanted to piece together. Tucker, who turns 29 in January, is probably more in the $300-350 million range on a long-term contract.

A Gold Glove winner in the past, he put together a less than satisfactory defensive season. Worth -2 OAA with other negative totals to measure his defense, he feels like far less of a sure thing than he did during his best seasons with the Houston Astros.

There is no comparing Tucker to Soto in terms of offensive production. He has reached 30 home runs twice in his career (not going over) with two seasons of 100+ RBI. The numbers are really good but they really aren’t even all that much more impactful than the guy the Mets would have to trade to make it possible to fit him in, Brandon Nimmo.

Signed for five more seasons at $20.5 million, has evolved into an entirely different player than he was only a few years ago. He isn’t a major threat to get on base with two consecutive years of an OBP under .330. However, his power has gone up. He hit 23 home runs in 2024 and 25 more in 2025. They included 90 and then 92 RBI campaigns. At half the price of Tucker, assuming he gets $40 million, it’s a little outrageous to believe the Mets would make such a switch to alleviate themselves of a fan favorite locker room leader in favor of a newcomer coming off of a season that wasn’t all that much better.

Tucker certainly has the greater upside than Nimmo. The problem with these Mets rumors is it requires the Mets to trade a player (Nimmo) with over $120 million left on his contract and no real place to go but down.