{"id":136810,"date":"2024-12-14T04:34:47","date_gmt":"2024-12-13T21:34:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=136810"},"modified":"2024-12-14T04:34:47","modified_gmt":"2024-12-13T21:34:47","slug":"how-do-the-yankees-wash-their-juan-soto-blues-away-trade-for-astros-kyle-tucker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=136810","title":{"rendered":"How do the Yankees wash their Juan Soto blues away? Trade for Astros\u2019 Kyle Tucker"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>It doesn\u2019t matter if the price is American League Rookie of the Year <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"ByYQ7cHdZz3lXJPk\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/luis-gil-ByYQ7cHdZz3lXJPk\/\">Luis Gil<\/a> plus a prospect or three. The <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"111\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/team\/yankees\/\">New York Yankees<\/a> need to trade for <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"103\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/team\/astros\/\">Houston Astros<\/a> right fielder <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"jqZDam8xs6T8T7g6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/kyle-tucker-jqZDam8xs6T8T7g6\/\">Kyle Tucker<\/a> and wash their <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"NxTzrhe2HdUzjr6T\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/juan-soto-NxTzrhe2HdUzjr6T\/\">Juan Soto<\/a> blues away.<\/p>\n<p>Those blues are real, even if some Yankees people privately claim to be relieved that Soto didn\u2019t accept the team\u2019s 16-year, $760 million offer, choosing to go to the <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"110\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/team\/mets\/\">New York Mets<\/a> for $5 million more guaranteed (and one fewer year) instead. Bid $760 million for a player and you want him. But the argument that the Yankees can build a World Series contender without Soto? Absolutely they can. And <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/5992880\/2024\/12\/13\/astros-trade-of-kyle-tucker-to-cubs-following-crazy-72-hour-window\/\">Tucker<\/a>, a left-handed slugger who has won a Gold Glove in right field and stolen 30 bases in a season, is the perfect fit.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, the same can be said of Tucker with the <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"97\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/team\/cubs\/\">Chicago Cubs<\/a> or any other club, presuming Astros owner Jim Crane is willing to trade him, which is no guarantee. Imagine if the Cubs <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/5987064\/2024\/12\/11\/astros-cubs-kyle-tucker-seiya-suzuki-trade\/\">included infielder Isaac Paredes<\/a> in a deal for Tucker, then signed another Astros mainstay, free agent Alex Bregman, to play third base. That is the kind of plan the Cubs actually might pursue if owner Tom Ricketts were operating the team as a big-market behemoth rather than an efficient Midwest bank.<\/p>\n<p>For the Yankees, a deal for Tucker, 27, would be a repeat of last offseason\u2019s trade for Soto, who also was a year away from free agency. That deal cost the Yankees a pitcher who finished seventh in the National League Cy Young race, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"LvLKgTReZ9gXVg3C\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/michael-king-LvLKgTReZ9gXVg3C\/\">Michael King<\/a>; a pitching prospect who headlined the <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"115\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/team\/padres\/\">San Diego Padres\u2019<\/a> trade for <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"Jov6rit6W4OunRnP\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/dylan-cease-Jov6rit6W4OunRnP\/\">Dylan Cease<\/a>, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"1CIuOXcqkpqtIIfe\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/drew-thorpe-1CIuOXcqkpqtIIfe\/\">Drew Thorpe<\/a>; a catcher who proceeded to hit 17 home runs, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"JFOrZu6dnjXq3D4m\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/kyle-higashioka-JFOrZu6dnjXq3D4m\/\">Kyle Higashioka<\/a>; and two other pitchers who combined to give the Padres 141 2\/3 innings, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"MAdNwHxWpmMFNKzx\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/randy-vasquez-MAdNwHxWpmMFNKzx\/\">Randy V\u00e1squez<\/a> and <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"5ChMO0sL7zmOKE4w\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/jhony-brito-5ChMO0sL7zmOKE4w\/\">Jhony Brito<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5991304\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption-image-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-5991304 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2024\/12\/12222655\/USATSI_24970932-1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2024\/12\/12222655\/USATSI_24970932-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2024\/12\/12222655\/USATSI_24970932-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2024\/12\/12222655\/USATSI_24970932-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2024\/12\/12222655\/USATSI_24970932-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2024\/12\/12222655\/USATSI_24970932-1-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-credits\">\n<div class=\"inline-credits-container\">\n      <span class=\"table-cell-span\"\/><br \/>\n      <span class=\"credits-text\">Now that Juan Soto is a Met, the Yankees have work to do in adding to their offense. (Brad Penner \/ Imagn Images)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The package for Tucker would not be that steep, but it would hurt. Tucker is perhaps the game\u2019s most underrated superstar, ranking third among outfielders in fWAR since becoming a full-time player in 2020, behind only <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"SFIT5wwDvRYLsber\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/aaron-judge-SFIT5wwDvRYLsber\/\">Aaron Judge<\/a> and Soto. The Yankees surely don\u2019t want to make another prospect-heavy trade when they\u2019ve done it so many times in recent years. They surely would prefer to keep Gil, whom the Astros also value for his elite arm, even with his command issues. But what choice do the Yankees have, really?<\/p>\n<p>Judge and <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"36jnGyHljwbmPLzj\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/carlos-rodon-36jnGyHljwbmPLzj\/\">Carlos Rod\u00f3n<\/a> are 32. <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"hjY4yzsSTjeysNr3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/gerrit-cole-hjY4yzsSTjeysNr3\/\">Gerrit Cole<\/a> is 34, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"rRhozcGWpuYcCdd4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/giancarlo-stanton-rRhozcGWpuYcCdd4\/\">Giancarlo Stanton<\/a> is 35. The competitive window with this group will not remain open indefinitely. With Judge nearing the end of his prime, the Yankees need to show urgency in trying to win their first World Series since 2009. And while club officials are pondering a variety of ways to improve, Tucker could be a linchpin of their post-Soto efforts, even if he stays only one year.<\/p>\n<p>Without Soto, the only left-handed hitters who project to play regularly for the Yankees are catcher <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"eLTLBGM5rMDm1uo0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/austin-wells-eLTLBGM5rMDm1uo0\/\">Austin Wells<\/a>, infielder\/outfielder <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"swQFP2eC30mR03d0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/jazz-chisholm-jr-swQFP2eC30mR03d0\/\">Jazz Chisholm Jr.<\/a> and switch hitting outfielder <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"CJysrgijolFehzIs\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/jasson-dominguez-CJysrgijolFehzIs\/\">Jasson Dom\u00ednguez<\/a>. Most of the best remaining free-agent hitters \u2014 Bregman, Christian Walker, Pete Alonso, Teoscar Hern\u00e1ndez \u2014 are right-handed (Anthony Santander is a switch hitter). The Cubs\u2019 <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"C79P7luR8MM8ZftM\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/cody-bellinger-C79P7luR8MM8ZftM\/\">Cody Bellinger<\/a> is a left-handed trade possibility, but he is not at Tucker\u2019s level offensively.<\/p>\n<p>The signing of free-agent left-hander <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"IIxEylsLp1IDDeuD\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/max-fried-IIxEylsLp1IDDeuD\/\">Max Fried<\/a> to an eight-year, $218 million contract gave the Yankees seven potential starters \u2014 Cole, Fried, Rod\u00f3n and Gil, plus <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"lekDWuNrcHh12XZb\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/clarke-schmidt-lekDWuNrcHh12XZb\/\">Clarke Schmidt<\/a>, Nestor Cortes Jr. and <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"HD85zMDdl431ujN3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/marcus-stroman-HD85zMDdl431ujN3\/\">Marcus Stroman<\/a>. Better run prevention will be necessary without Soto. Gil could be pivotal in that equation. But if the Yankees move him, they will be dealing from strength at a time when they are trying to address numerous needs.<\/p>\n<p>Right-hander <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"TzyZDqjJ9Z0tgg57\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/clay-holmes-TzyZDqjJ9Z0tgg57\/\">Clay Holmes<\/a> also defected to the Mets as a free agent, creating a void in late-inning relief. First base is a priority, and if the Yankees add Tucker, they could go with the best all-around player, even if he is right-handed. Walker, who will play next season at 34, is a consistent hitter, savvy base runner and winner of three straight Gold Gloves. By signing him, the Yankees could keep Chisholm at third and plunge the rest of their resources into their bullpen. They already have re-signed free-agent righty Jonathan Lo\u00e1isiga.<\/p>\n<p>Tucker is something of an uncomfortable superstar, relatively quiet and unassuming, almost the opposite of Soto, a showman who reveled in the love he received at Yankee Stadium (a different type of reception awaits Soto when he and the Mets visit the Yankees in May). While Tucker <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/4454401\/2023\/04\/27\/kyle-tucker-astros-pitchman-star\/\">showed more of his personality<\/a> in recent years, particularly within the Astros\u2019 clubhouse, he is a native of Tampa, and New York might not be his idea of a long-term home.<\/p>\n<p>So, just as it was for Soto, an extension with the Yankees would be highly unlikely. Soto seemed a lock to become a free agent from the moment the Yankees acquired him. He already had turned down a 15-year, $440 million offer from the <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"122\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/team\/nationals\/\">Washington Nationals<\/a> in 2022. And his agent, Scott Boras, generally prefers his clients to establish their values on the open market.<\/p>\n<p>Tucker\u2019s agency, Excel, negotiated extensions for Paul Goldschmidt and <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"hmpo2d3n1HOTuL3v\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/pablo-lopez-hmpo2d3n1HOTuL3v\/\">Pablo L\u00f3pez<\/a> shortly after they joined new teams in trades, and for <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"fJdyR59AnffvvTIg\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/freddie-freeman-fJdyR59AnffvvTIg\/\">Freddie Freeman<\/a> and Clayton Kershaw early in their careers. While Tucker likely would be unaffected by the pressures of playing for the Yankees, he almost certainly would want to spend a full season in New York before deciding whether he wanted to stay.<\/p>\n<p>The possibility of another one-and-done would be real. The acquisition cost for Tucker would be daunting. But the player, my goodness. Tucker averaged 30 homers and 149 games from 2021 to \u201923 before a fractured shin limited him to 78 games last season. He still hit 23 homers and produced a .993 OPS. Playing at Yankee Stadium, taking aim at the short right-field porch, 40 homers would be within reach.<\/p>\n<p>The loss of Soto liberated the Yankees to explore alternate plans in free agency and trade. Whatever the team decides, the pieces in 2025 will not fit the same way they did in \u201924. Tucker, though, gives the club the best chance of making the puzzle work. Trade for Tucker, figure out the rest and wash the Soto Blues away.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><em>(Top photo of Kyle Tucker: Tim Warner \/ Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/5991275\/2024\/12\/12\/yankees-trade-kyle-tucker-juan-soto-astros\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It doesn\u2019t matter if the price is American League Rookie of the Year Luis Gil plus a prospect or three. The New York Yankees need to trade for Houston Astros &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=136810\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-136810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=136810"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136810\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=136810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=136810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=136810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}