Remember back in November when Blue Jays outfielder Myles Straw made that bold pitch to Kyle Tucker about coming to Toronto? Well, it all started after Tucker announced on Instagram that he had a baby on the way, and Straw jumped into the comments with, “Let’s go! Now come to the Blue Jays, I can help babysit.”

Well, it looks like Straw hasn’t let up. He’s still out front recruiting Tucker, and now he’s got Blue Jays catcher Tyler Heineman joining the effort! This time, though, the push is a little more subtle, with the two dropping some cryptic hints over on Instagram. So if there’s any doubt about where Tucker might be headed next, his Instagram account might be the first place to watch for answers.

“Anyone up for a round?” Tucker posted his picture on Instagram. And the two replies came from Straw, saying, “let’s go,” and Heineman’s “Yea. TPC Toronto. See you there.”

So, if Straw’s comment was not enough to conclude, Heineman might just have opened Pandora’s box.

Notably, the Blue Jays are starting to look like the clear frontrunners to land Kyle Tucker. Why? The answer lies in their offseason moves. They really turned heads in early December by handing Dylan Cease a massive seven-year, $210 million deal, and that move sent a pretty loud message about how serious Toronto is this offseason.

And when you factor in how aggressively the Jays are spending, especially compared to other rumored suitors like the Yankees, who’ve been relatively quiet, it’s easy to see why a projected $400 million player like Tucker feels like a natural fit in Toronto. Sure, the Jays already have Bo Bichette as a star option, but Tucker is simply the more complete, all-around player.

Tucker owns a career slash line of .273/.358/.507 and just put up a strong .266/.377/.464 season in 2025. So, even if Toronto doesn’t have an immediate need in the corner outfield, players of Tucker’s caliber make teams adjust.

Add in the fact that Tucker visited the Blue Jays’ training facility in Dunedin, Florida, two weeks ago, and all signs keep pointing in one direction: Toronto. Now, with the Blue Jays’ players openly dropping hints on social media, there’s really no reason not to believe the rumors are gaining real traction.

Race is far from over for Kyle Tucker

Sure, the Blue Jays have an edge right now in the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes, but the competition is only heating up. And the involvement of heavyweights like the Yankees, Dodgers, and Mets is already driving Tucker’s price even higher!

According to ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel, Tucker’s deal could actually push past the $400 million mark and land closer to $418 million. And there’s also the possibility that Tucker agrees to defer part of his salary, which immediately puts teams like the Dodgers in a strong position.

Well, we all know the Dodgers’ comfort with deferred money. They currently have nine players on contracts that include deferrals, with big names like Shohei Ohtani (97.1% deferred), Mookie Betts (32.9%), Freddie Freeman (35.2%), and newly acquired Edwin Díaz (19.6%) leading the way. So, adding Tucker to that list wouldn’t be a stretch at all.

Hence, while the Blue Jays may be out in front for now, it’s still far too early to declare a winner. With this level of competition, the race for Tucker is wide open and only getting more intense.

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