Signing Kyle Tucker gives NY Mets perfect excuse for another needed change

If the New York Mets are really willing to do the “$50 million AAV on a short deal” thing for Kyle Tucker, it’s not just a headline-grabber. It’s a roster-shaping move that forces an overdue conversation: Juan Soto shouldn’t be living in right field at Citi Field. Tucker interest is loud because of the bat, but the real value is the excuse it gives the Mets to finally make the cleanest defensive adjustment on the board — slide Soto to left field. 

This isn’t a brand-new, made-up worry. Keith Hernandez called it out back in June 2024 while Soto was still a Yankee, basically asking why you’d park him in the deepest corner outfield spot in Queens after a misplay. Hernandez labeled him a “liability” out there and made the point Mets fans already understand: right field at Citi isn’t the same cute Yankee Stadium assignment. It’s acreage. 

Signing Kyle Tucker would force the Mets into an overdue Juan Soto decision

Tucker matters beyond the shiny name. Multiple reports have the Mets making a serious push — from a three-year offer in the $120–$140 million range to the splashier $50 million-per-year framing. If you’re going to spend like that, you might as well squeeze every extra win out of the alignment, too.

Tucker can handle right field, and he’s done it at a high level. He’s a four-time All-Star, and his track record includes elite defense. Soto, meanwhile, is the guy you protect defensively because his bat is the point. Moving him to left isn’t an insult, it’s the Mets acting like a serious contender, the way contenders do when they stop pretending every star has to play the “premium” spot to feel important.

It also gives Carlos Mendoza the kind of in-game flexibility the Mets have been chasing for a while. If Soto is in left and Tucker is in right, you’re not stuck playing “defensive roulette” late. 

And the Mets, frankly, need that kind of adult decision-making. If they’re already making changes around the roster, they can’t half-step the defense and call it “improved.”  A Soto-to-left shift is the kind of sensible tweak that prevents the exact run-scoring swings Hernandez was warning about. Especially if the team insists on honoring Soto’s desire to play defense.

Sign Tucker if you can. But don’t stop there. Let Tucker be the splash, and let Soto to left field be the follow-through — the rare Mets move that’s both flashy and functional.