The Los Angeles Dodgers were one of several teams to have met with Chicago Cubs free agent outfielder Kyle Tucker, or his rep, Casey Close of Excel Sports Management, this winter. Sirius/XM’s Jim Duquette reported that several teams have met with Tucker and Co., though not all in person.

Per Duquette, “A League source confirmed to me that the three main teams involved in the Tucker negotiations (Tor, LAD, NYM) have all met with the player, either in person or over Zoom, as part of the recruiting process for a star player.  Will be interesting to see if any of the three teams increase their offers soon to separate themselves from the other.”

New York Mets On SI’s Pat Ragazzo reported that, “The meeting was said to have went well and the Mets are cautiously optimistic about their chances in the race for Tucker.” Ragazzo added that if Tucker signed with the Mets, he “could potentially take over right field duties, which would push Juan Soto to left field or vice versa.”

The Mets certainly sounds like a team that got an in-person meeting. It’s unclear if the Dodgers or Blue Jays met Tucker or Close in person or not. Of note, Close negotiated Freddie Freeman’s deal ahead of the 2022 season.

Per The Athletic, “Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer met with Tucker’s agent, Casey Close of Excel Sports Management, at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas” on November 12.

MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince reports that the Cubs’ trading away top prospect Owen Caissie makes it “more conceivable that Tucker and the Cubs reunite,” but added that “it’s more likely that his total price tag will be too rich for their tastes.”

Dodgers Going All-In Before Potential 2027 MLB Lockout

It’s clear the Dodgers organization isn’t going to slow down their spending to avoid any 2027 MLB lockout. No, Andrew Friedman is going to stay the course, at the direction of team owner Mark Walter, and continue to “ruin baseball.”

Shohei Ohtani took a modified deal to help make that happen. He’s owed more big swings for how much value he’s bringing the franchise.

Though Tommy Edman and Andy Pages could be due to step into bigger roles in the outfield, Edman could be used as a utility infielder to make room for someone like Tucker. Both can be shifted around for the greater good. Realistically, most things should be up for moving around to facilitate an arrival like Tucker’s.

We’ll see where this free agency sweepstakes heads next.