Mets reportedly make puzzling Cody Bellinger decision after losing Kyle Tucker to Dodgers

Hunter Cookston

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Mets reportedly make puzzling Cody Bellinger decision after losing Kyle Tucker to Dodgers image

The New York Mets were going all in for Kyle Tucker, especially with their final offer. The Mets went down swinging — there is no doubt about that.

“The Mets’ final offer to Kyle Tucker was for four years and $220MM, reports Jim Duquette of MLB Network on Sirius XM Radio. Jon Heyman of The New York Post adds that the offer included no deferred money and would have been slightly frontloaded, paying $120MM over the first two seasons. Will Sammon of The Athletic adds that it included a $75MM signing bonus and allowed Tucker to opt out after the second and third season,” MLB Trade Rumors’ Anthony Franco wrote.

However, this deal wasn’t enough, as it was actually the Los Angeles Dodgers who would land him.

“Kyle Tucker, the consensus best player available in free agency, agreed to join the Dodgers on Thursday, sources told ESPN, a little more than a month after star closer Edwin Diaz did the same. Tucker's deal is for four years at $240 million and includes opt-outs after the second and third seasons, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan and Jesse Rogers,” ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez wrote.

The Mets losing out on Tucker is heartbreaking, but the silver lining is that Cody Bellinger is still on the market. For some reason, the Mets don’t seem likely to switch their attention to Bellinger.

“As I said yesterday, the Mets are unlikely to turn to Cody Bellinger as a fall-back option having missed on Kyle Tucker. The more likely scenario for the Mets is to re-work those resources and make an aggressive push for Framber Valdez,” MLB reporter Michael Marino wrote.

This is a puzzling development, as the Mets could really use more veteran experience in the outfield, but it doesn’t seem like Bellinger will be the answer. If they are going to make a big deal, it looks like it will be on the pitching front.

After missing out on Tucker, not pursuing Bellinger is a huge blow to the fanbase. This mind-boggling decision by the Mets may make fans even more frustrated than they already are.

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