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Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider had nothing to hide when tour star free agent Kyle Tucker discussed the team’s player development complex in Dunedin, Fla.
Tucker, near Tampa, Fla. Born and raised in, the Blue Jays visited the state-of-the-art facility on Dec. 3, and Toronto has been rumored as a potential landing spot for the 28-year-old. He is widely considered the top free agent position player on the market.
Schneider was candid when discussing the meeting with Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae on Tuesday.
“We sat down for about an hour, an hour and a half, he kind of talked about where the organization was, where the organization was going, from both teams, from a roster building standpoint, from an ownership standpoint, and he talked baseball,” the Blue Jays captain said.
Tucker, most valued for his all-around skills than any one particular talent, has hit between 22 and 30 home runs and stolen 25 and 30 bases in each of his last three full seasons. He has also exhibited exceptional control of the strike zone, ranking in the top-10 in MLB in both on-base percentage (.380) and walk rate (13.9 percent) among qualified hitters over the past three seasons.
“I think it was very clear that he has confidence in the batter’s box,” Schneider said. “This dude can hit. And the things he talked about that were impressive to us, he talked about his defense, he talked about his baserunning, he talked about his baseball IQ — what he looks for when he’s playing defense, saying in some snaps to try to get 25 bags instead of 20. So that was a great part of his game to hear.”
Fresh off a heartbreaking loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 of the World Series, the Blue Jays have been aggressive in adding to their pitching staff, signing one of the top starters available in Dylan Seaz and last season’s KBO MVP, Cody Ponce.
And while Chris Bassett and Max Scherzer hit free agency, filling the Blue Jays’ core need, Tucker will serve as a significant upgrade at a corner outfield spot.
“It was very productive,” Schneider said. “Again, great, great player. And it’s no surprise that his skills are perfect for what we’re doing. So, we’ll see where that is in the next few weeks.”
