The Toronto Blue Jays struck out on Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette within 24 hours.
While that is a tough pill to swallow, the short-term offers from the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets were tough for those free agents to ignore. Now the Blue Jays must move on. That could take the shape of pushing harder for New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger, as some are urging them to do.
The Blue Jays were very active on the international free agency front, with at least one sneaky signing. Not to mention, they have already swung big by bringing Dylan Cease and Kazuma Okamoto into the fold.
As Toronto’s plan adjusts to the curveballs of the Tucker & Bichette signings, a new report has emerged about what the Blue Jays offered Tucker.
Toronto Blue Jays Offered Tucker $350 Million
Tucker signed a $240 million, four-year deal with the Dodgers. According to Jeff Passan, the deal included opt-outs after years two and three. He will receive a massive $64 million signing bonus. Finally, $30 million of the deal is deferred.
That’s a tough deal for the Blue Jays to compete with. However, what Toronto offered Tucker has been revealed by MLB insider Jon Heyman.
He took to social media to share the details of this massive offer.
“Blue Jays offer to Kyle Tucker was $350M for 10 years,” Heyman wrote on January 17, 2026. “They certainly put in a big effort. Still one of the biggest winter winners with all they’ve done.”
A $350 offer over 10 years averages out to $35 million a year. That’s not an offer to scoff at. Insiders revealed that the Blue Jays’ offer to Tucker would be the largest amount of money.
That’s a reasonable sum of money for a player of his calibre. Tucker recorded 22 home runs, 133 hits, and 73 RBIs to go along with 25 stolen bases in 2025.
In the end, he took a deal that allowed him to re-enter the free agency market in a couple of years. And, perhaps more importantly, he has the best chance of winning a World Series with the reigning champions.
Some Details Are Still Unknown
Before Heyman’s post, Shi Davidi reported what he was hearing about the Blue Jays’ offer to Tucker.
“The specific number I don’t have for you,” Davidi said to Jesse Fuchs of Sportsnet. “I’ve heard speculation that it was in the low $300 (million) range. Now, could that have included some deferrals as well? Possibly. But I think somewhere in that neighborhood sounds about right.”
It may take another day or two for other details to trickle out about what the Blue Jays were offering Tucker. However, it sounds like earning more money in the short term was a higher priority for him than the long-term security offered by the Blue Jays.
Time to Sign Cody Bellinger?
The biggest question on the minds of Blue Jays fans is, what’s next?
Some analysts believe they must sign Bellinger now, after missing out on Tucker. One comparison Bellinger is drawing should be enough to convince the Blue Jays to at least consider an offer.
Former MLB general manager Steve Phillips offered his thoughts.
“He is Kyle Tucker light is how I look at Cody Bellinger,” Phillips said during a January 16th, 2026, appearance on TSN. “Another five-tool guy. He can play center. I think ideally the Jays wouldn’t mind getting another outfielder that they control beyond the 2026 season.”
“The benefit of this is it’s not going to take 10 years to get him done. He wants seven.”
The Blue Jays were willing to offer Tucker a 10-year contract, who just turned 29 on January 17th, 2026. Tucker would have been 39 when his deal expired if he had played until then.
Bellinger is 31 years old, and he would also be 39 at the conclusion of a seven-year deal. If aging effects are a consideration, both Tucker and Bellinger present the same “aging risk.”
Either way, the Blue Jays have some work to do. They could nibble around the edges to create some internal competition, or they could get the next big bat.
They could also do something out of left field that nobody sees coming.
Blue Jays Big Kyle Tucker Offer Revealed Amid Cody Bellinger Link