The New York Mets miss Tucker, but Cody Bellinger's exceptional 2025 stats and defense make him a clear, game-changing outfield acquisition.
The top free agent in baseball, outfielder Kyle Tucker, is now off the market after signing a massive four-year, $240 million contract with the reigning World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Despite the New York Mets' heavy pursuit of Tucker, they are left with an incredibly thin outfield that requires significant reinforcements.
Luckily, there are still more outfield options for President of Baseball Operations David Stearns and the Mets. There’s one, however, that needs to become the no. 1 priority for New York after missing out on Tucker: Cody Bellinger.
Bellinger is now the best available outfielder in free agency, and he’d make a great consolation prize for the Mets. With the New York Yankees in 2025, Bellinger recorded his highest WAR since his 2019 MVP season. He finished with 59 extra-base hits, 98 RBIs, and a 125 OPS+.
When looking at the numbers, Bellinger actually had more home runs, RBIs, hits, and a higher WAR than Tucker in 2025. Despite Tucker being viewed as the consensus best player in this winter’s free agency, Bellinger has a case to be made for himself.
In addition to several hitting statistics that stand above Tucker’s, Bellinger also provides more on the defensive side of things. The 30-year-old already has a Gold Glove Award to his name, and he’s still adding tremendous value in the outfield. Playing all over the Yankees’ outfield last season, Bellinger finished in the 91st percentile in fielding run value. His seven outs above average were the third-most in his career. Despite being nine years into his time in the MLB, Bellinger played the most games in the outfield in his career.
Bellinger’s market value is estimated to be over $30 million annually, but he’s likely to large or even bigger offer after Tucker’s mega contract. On Friday, the New York Mets agreed to a deal with shortstop Bo Bichette on Friday for three-years, $126 million, a deal with an AAV of $42 million itself. Clearly, MLB teams aren’t cheaping out on free agency's biggest names this offseason, and Bellinger will be no exception.
To bolster their outfield in a game-changing way, it’s going to take a pretty penny. News of the Bichette deal begs the question of whether they have more money in the tank to spend on one of baseball’s biggest stars. With their history of spending under owner Steve Cohen, however, it’s a safe bet to assume the answer to the question of whether they have the funds is a yes.
If that’s the case, an offseason in which they add Bellinger, Bichette, Marcus Semien, and Jorge Polanco would certainly make up for the disaster that the 2025 season was. Now that Tucker has made his move, Bellinger’s market is sure to heat up – the Mets need to act fast.