Baseball insiders are telling the New York Yankees to stay away from Kyle Tucker’s expected $400 million-plus contract. The message couldn’t be clearer. Cody Bellinger is now a free agent because he chose not to sign a new deal. Brian Cashman now has to make a choice that could shape the team for years to come: go after the big name that fans want, or make the smart move that fits the roster.

Joel Sherman delivered a pointed assessment on the New York Post Sports YouTube Channel. “I get it on a piece of paper what Kyle Tucker looks like. But just the idea of the Yankees must throw money into the mouth of the off-season to satisfy a certain kind of fan and fan base. Like to me, Kyle Tucker is not a $350 million-plus player. I would not be spending, you know, 35 plus million a year for 10 years on Kyle Tucker.” Sherman’s worries are backed by Tucker’s dropped numbers in 2025.

The outfielder had a slash line of .266/.377/.464, hit 22 home runs, and had a 4.5 bWAR, which was his lowest full-season mark. His fastball production went down a lot, going from .299/.635 in 2024 to .270/.479 in 2025.

Jon Heyman reinforced Sherman’s skepticism with his own analysis on the same platform.

“I don’t see Tucker for the Yankees. But I mean, they also all have the best right fielder in the world, right? Overall, hitting and defense, right? So Tucker, to me, is a non-fit for the Yankees. Tucker makes sense to me. Tucker fits a lot of the big market teams. It’s not a real fit with the Yankees.” Heyman’s reasoning is based on a basic problem with how the roster is put together that numbers alone can’t fix.

Aaron Judge plays right field and is probably the best player in baseball at that position. This makes it hard for Tucker to play there. Meanwhile, Bellinger could play center field, left field, and first base for the Yankees, but Tucker doesn’t have that flexibility.

Bellinger played 85 games in left field, 52 in right, 41 in center field, and seven games at first base for the Yankees in 2025. Yet, when talking about the outfielder’s free agency, Brian Cashman was typically calm.

“We expect him to opt-out… I thank him for everything he’s done, but we haven’t gotten to those conversations yet,” Cashman stated. The general manager’s unwillingness to agree to immediate negotiations suggests that the Bellinger decision has been intentionally delayed, leaving the door open for other moves or a possible bidding war.

That projection came true when Bellinger officially turned down the last year and $25 million of his contract and took a $5 million buyout to see what free agency was like.

MLB Trade Rumors has made predictions in this context.

Bellinger wants a five-year deal worth at least $100 million. This is about a quarter of what Tucker is expected to make, but Bellinger can play multiple positions and has proven himself at Yankee Stadium, which Tucker can’t do.

Yankees face bigger roster questions beyond Tucker

The Bellinger vs. Tucker debate is getting a lot of attention, but the New York Yankees‘ problems go beyond their outfield decisions. Their loss in the playoffs showed weaknesses that money alone won’t fix, especially on the pitching side, where they still need more depth beyond Gerrit Cole and Max Fried.

The front office knows that to beat the Dodgers and other top teams, they need a full roster, not just big names that fans want. Management is under a lot of pressure to get things done after another disappointing postseason, but rushing into a huge Tucker contract could be a huge mistake if it limits their options in other areas. Instead of one big move that takes up payroll space, the Yankees need to make smart additions at a lot of different positions.

Reportedly, New York is looking into bringing back Michael King, the right-handed pitcher they sent to San Diego in the Juan Soto trade. Bringing King back would make the legacy of that big trade even more interesting. The veteran had a 3.44 ERA in 15 starts with the Padres this season, striking out 76 batters and showing firm control when healthy with a 1.20 WHIP. He showed that he can still compete at a high level.

But we can’t ignore that King has been hurt a lot in the past. He had problems with his shoulder and knee that made him less available all year.

But when fit, King provides a dependable arm that can get the job done in tough situations without costing as much as Tucker.