Yankees Named Top Landing Spot for MVP Candidate Headed for $600 Million Deal

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Kyle Tucker playing for the Chicago Cubs

The New York Yankees may have lost out on Juan Soto to their crosstown rival last offseason, but one insider believes they will get another chance to land a nine-figure superstar.

The Athletic’s Jim Bowden broke down likely destination for the MLB’s 2026 class of free agents, naming the Yankees as one of the top contenders to land Chicago Cubs star Kyle Tucker. Bowden predicted it would not come cheap, with the MVP candidate expected to land a contract in the neighborhood of Soto’s $765 million deal.

Kyle Tucker Peaking at the Right Time

Bowden noted that Tucker is turning in a career-best season at the right time, just before heading to free agency and the opportunity to land one of the biggest MLB contracts in history.

“Tucker has led the Cubs to a first-place start in the NL Central and is considered a top-five MVP candidate in the league,” Bowden wrote. “He is again on pace to hit close to 30 homers and steal close to 30 bases. The three-time All-Star, one-time Gold Glove winner and one-time Silver Slugger looks like he’ll have an opportunity to hit that trifecta in his free-agent walk year.”

Bowden noted that several big-market teams are likely to enter the mix for Tucker, including the Cubs as they aim to keep the superstar they acquired from the Houston Astros. But it will likely cost somewhere in the range of $600 million or more, Bowden predicted.

“Following Juan Soto’s record-setting $765 million deal in free agency and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s $500 million extension, Tucker is expected to land a nine-figure contract that starts with a 6,” Bowden wrote. “Several big-market teams, including the Cubs, Phillies, Yankees and Dodgers, should be in play for him.”

Yankees in the Mix for Other Top Players

Bowden predicted that the Yankees would be very active in free agency next winter, linking them to a number of other top players including Alex Bregman and Bo Bichette.

Bowden noted that Bichette would need to make a position change to land in the Bronx, but could be in line for a nine-figure deal of his own.

“Bichette might have to be willing to move to third base for certain interested teams like the Tigers, Yankees or Dodgers, but he should have a strong market if he plays at his accustomed level this season,” Bowden wrote.

The door could be closed on some other rumored targets. Reporter Jon Heyman noted this week that the Pittsburgh Pirates have no plans to make star pitcher Paul Skenes available for a trade. Many insiders had pegged the Yankees as a top contender to land Skenes, but the Pirates are in no hurry to ship off a player still under team control and will instead try to build around him.

“Pirates source: Paul Skenes is not getting traded. ‘No chance, no way, no how,’ is the way I heard it,” Heyman shared in a post on X. “While there’s a bit of logic to such a scenario, superstars just aren’t traded by anyone with 1 year service time and the Pirates remain determined to build around Skenes.”

Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty