Yankees Have One Major Free Agent Concern No One is Mentioning

The New York Yankees generally always make at least one big addition every offseason, and this time around, they are being floated as a potential free-agent destination for Kyle Tucker.

Tucker is the cream of the crop in this year's free-agent class, this even though he slashed just .266/.377/.464 with 22 home runs and 73 RBI over 597 plate appearances with the Chicago Cubs in 2025.

Those aren't bad numbers by any means, but considering Tucker is being tabbed as a $400 million player, the stat line is not what you would expect.

Now, in fairness, the 28-year-old played through a hairline fracture in his hand beginning in June, and he also suffered a calf injury in September that resulted in a trip to the injured list. It should also be noted that prior to the hand injury, Tucker posted OPSes of .935, .882 and .982 over the first three months of the campaign.

So, clearly, the injury affected him.

But did a hairline hand fracture cause his defense to fall off a cliff?

Tucker — who won a Gold Glove in 2022 — registered a minus-1 DRS and minus-2 OAA this past season. While that isn't awful, it's a far cry from the plus-15 DRS and plus-4 OAA he posted during his Gold Glove-winning year.

Tucker's defense has quietly been slipping ever since to the point where he may no longer be a genuinely elite right fielder.

There was a time when Tucker was an unquestioned five-tool player, and he still might be. Maybe he can experience a defensive resurgence elsewhere. But would he achieve that playing out of position in the Bronx?

The Yankees have Aaron Judge in right field, and they certainly aren't moving him for Tucker. They tried Judge in center field two years ago, and it did not work. And now, with Judge being 33 years old, putting him back in center is probably not the best idea in the world.

Tucker could always shift over to left, but left field at Yankee Stadium is not easy. Just ask Jasson Dominguez. If Tucker is a declining defender, putting him somewhere he has never played in a difficult stadium could be a recipe for disaster.

Remember: one of the primary reasons why New York lost the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024 was because of its atrocious defense. The Yanks improved considerably in that department this past year, and it seems unlikely they would want to potentially deviate from that by playing Russian roulette with a $400 million player.

I honestly believe the Yankees would prefer to re-sign the more versatile — and much cheaper — Cody Bellinger and allocate the rest of their available resources elsewhere.

Tucker is tantalizing for sure, but only under the right circumstances (like if New York were signing Tucker while also retaining Bellinger). If adding Tucker means that Bellinger has to go, the Yankees would probably be better off just keeping the status quo.