The MLB General Manager meetings just ended, and now, the hot stove season is officially heating up. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale dropped the biggest scoop from the meetings. He said GMs expect Kyle Tucker to sign with the Yankees, Blue Jays, or Dodgers.  Nightengale even called the Blue Jays “the favorite” for the superstar and noted the Jays earned an “extra $50 million” from their World Series run. The team plans to spend that new money on their outfield offense.

But what are fans north of the border thinking? They are not celebrating at all, and many are having serious flashbacks. They fear this is the Shohei Ohtani case all over again. One Blue Jays fan retweeted the GM report with a warning: ” he’s[Tucker] gonna use the Jays as leverage just to sign with the Dodgers. I’ve seen this gimmick before.”

It is not an overreaction. It comes directly from the 2023 pursuit of Shohei Ohtani. That chase became a public humiliation at that time. The media went wild, and reports sparked rumors that Ohtani was on a private jet that was flying from Anaheim to Toronto.

Fans and media members actually started tracking the flight. They truly believed a superstar was arriving, as some even went to the airport to welcome the Japanese phenom.

The plane finally landed, but the passenger was not Shohei Ohtani. It was Canadian businessman Robert Herjavec from Shark Tank. Ohtani was at home with his dog the whole time and signed his $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers just a few hours later. The entire episode became a national joke, and the Canadian fans believed they were “used… as leverage.”

The fan’s “Ohtani trauma” is real. But this time, the situation is completely different. The 2025 pursuit of Kyle Tucker is not the 2023 Ohtani chase. A new and painful event just rewrote the entire script. The Toronto Blue Jays just lost Game 7 of the World Series.

The team that beat them? The Los Angeles Dodgers. So, it’s time to pay back..

And in 2023, the Jays were just a good playoff team. Now, they are a team that came one win shy of a World Series title. This loss creates an intense mandate from ownership. They must finish the job. That $50 million in new revenue is the fuel, and Nightengale reports it will be “put right back into the team.”

Still, fans aren’t buying the hype.. “I Am Not Falling for This One Again”

They simply are not buying the hype. One fan said, “Blue Jays are being bargaining leverage every year.” This comment directly captures their “Post-Traumatic Ohtani Syndrome.” They still remember the chaotic 2023 Ohtani circus.

So, another fan repeated the same feeling more desperately, “Nope, noooooope, not doing it. I am not falling for this one again lol .

Jays will give an offer only for him to go to the Dodgers.” So, the Blue Jays can battle the Dodgers on the field all they want, but off the field, they clearly have no chance of beating them.

Another fan explained the “gimmick” with perfect tactical clarity. The fan writes, “Classic Blue Jays offer something insane, the agent brings it to a New York or LA team, and they match and win the player.” This fan clearly sees the Jays as a ‘stalking horse’, and he feels Toronto’s offer just sets the market price, and Tucker’s agent then takes that number to the real bidders. The Yankees have a glaring hole in their outfield after Cody Bellinger opted out.

And the Dodgers have a precise plan to move Teoscar Hernández to left field, bringing Tucker to right after outfielder Michael Conforto left.

But the fear is not just about external teams. As one fan pointed out, “Too expensive for the Jays, who need to pay Bo Bichette.” The Jays already gave Vladimir Guerrero Jr. his $500 million deal last season, and now, after their successful 2025 season, another homegrown star, Bo Bichette, is also a free agent.

Outdueling the Dodgers and Yankees for a $400 million bid in the same season when they intended to sign Bo Bichette will be tougher than we all think.   This fan is simply doing the math.

Finally, one fan tried to rationalize the whole thing. “Jays have Lukes, Varsho & (unfortunately) Santander in the OF. Obviously Tucker would be an upgrade, but I’d be damn near shocked if they sign him.” The fan’s own word, “unfortunately,” shows he knows this is a weak argument.

His comment’s true meaning is in the last part. “Expect the Dodgers to land him like they do everyone else.” This is the endpoint for many fans.