The Philadelphia Phillies are widely viewed as one of the top potential destinations for Kyle Tucker in MLB free agency, and it makes perfect sense.

The Phillies are contenders, they typically spend money and they desperately need outfield assistance with Harrison Bader and Max Kepler both free agents and Nick Castellanos a sure-fire goner. But will Philadelphia actually pursue Tucker?

Jim Bowden of The Athletic provided an update on the situation this week, and while he does mention the Phillies as a potential landing spot for Tucker, he isn't so sure Dave Dombrowski will be all that eager to add him.

"I also think the Giants and Phillies would be great fits, but it sounds like the Giants are directing their money toward pitching and the Phillies are trying to retain their own free agents before looking at Tucker," Bowden wrote.

The problem with that is by time Philadelphia gets around to trying to make a run at Tucker, he might already be off the market.

Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto and Ranger Suarez are all free agents for the Phillies, so Dombrowski definitely has a lot of business to take care of in the coming weeks.

We have also heard speculation that the only way the Phillies will even try to sign Tucker is if they are unable to retain Schwarber, so perhaps Tucker really is Option B.

But for a Philadelphia squad that has now been bounced out of the NLDS two years in a row, change seems like it's necessary, so the Phillies may be making a mistake if they do not make a strong push for Tucker right out of the gate.

Of course, Tucker is expected by most to land a contract worth in the neighborhood of $400 million, so Philadelphia may not be entirely comfortable shelling out all that cash. That's especially considering Tucker was only very good — not great — in 2025, although his rather disappointing showing with the Chicago Cubs can largely be chalked up to injuries.

Tucker's market is sure to be robust, though, so if the Phillies don't get involved as soon as possible, they may ultimately miss their opportunity.

We'll see what Philadelphia decides to do as we get deeper into the offseason.