Securing Tucker or Bellinger is paramount for the Mets' 2026 rebound. Their outfield needs an immediate jolt of star power.
The New York Mets are still looking to make their big move of the offseason, especially after losing two of their franchise players, Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz, in free agency. With serious questions surrounding their outfield, the Mets are looking to make a splash to give Juan Soto some help out there.
Everybody already knows the Mets are pursuing free agent outfielder Kyle Tucker, with new reports saying New York has already offered the slugger a short-term deal with over $50 million AAV. With teams like the Toronto Blue Jays making a longer-term, lower AAV offer, we’re unsure which route is more enticing to the free agent’s biggest name.
What is known is New York’s need for an outfielder or two, and it was selected as the squad’s biggest hole heading into 2026 by Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller. To fill this hole, Miller selected Tucker and fellow free agent Cody Bellinger as realistic options for the club.
Bellinger would be a great consolation prize if the Mets aren’t able to land Tucker, as he recorded his second-highest WAR of his nine-year career last season. Finishing with a slash line of .272/.334/.480 with an .813 OPS, Bellinger’s bat would immediately make the Mets a much bigger threat at the plate.
He provides more than his bat, however, as he aligns perfectly with the Mets' move towards prioritizing defense. Bellinger has a Gold Glove award already sitting in his trophy case, and he’s still one of the best defensive outfielders in the game. He spent time all over the outfield in 2025 for the New York Yankees, but he’d likely become the everyday centerfielder if he landed with the Mets.
Tucker and Bellinger are targets one and two for New York – that’s no secret. With just a little over a month remaining before spring training, however, there’s cause for concern that the club hasn’t been able to make a deal happen yet. If the Mets wait another couple of weeks and end up missing out on both Tucker and Bellinger, the scramble for reinforcements would only put a bow on a disappointing offseason.
Other targets around the league could bolster the Mets outfield – Jarren Duran, Steven Kwan, and Byron Buxton, as Miller noted – but landing anybody outside of one of the two biggest outfield free agents would be settling. After the collapse the Mets went through in 2025, there’s no room to settle this offseason. The goal is to surpass the 2025 season and make a real postseason run next fall. Adding either Tucker or Bellinger is far and away the best way to do just that.