Kyle Tucker could be more widely accessible, but Royals fans shouldn't get excited

At this point, it's probably exhausting for Royals to fans to continually hear about how desperately this outfield requires a face lift this winter.

And despite the additions of Lane Thomas and Isaac Collins, the Royals are still linked to even bigger names as the growing consensus is that this team needs another big name bat to fit into the heart of the order.

So, considering that they've reportedy been in on some of the winter's top trade targets in All-Stars Jarren Duran and Brendan Donovan, the news that the most prized free agent target this offseason could be more available than most would've anticipated at the start of winter may've raised some eyebrows amongst the Royals faithful.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today on Monday, the market for outfielder Kyle Tucker might be set to shift drastically as the offseason rages on.

"The Tucker market is the biggest mystery," Nightengale wrote. "He was projected to earn a contract in the $400 million neighborhood but could have to instead take a higher AAV on a short-term contract and hit the market again after two consecutive injury-plagued second halves."

As touched upon already, a shorter-term deal could make him more widely available across the league, especially for smaller market competitors like the Royals who don't traditionally toss out massive-term, big money contracts.

However, Royals fans shouldn't suddenly get their hopes that Tucker has a better shot at arriving at Kauffman Stadium.

A Royals-Kyle Tucker still feels far fetched, even if the market has changed

When entering an offseason with an outfield unit as bad as Kansas City's was - they posted a league-worst 73 wRC+ in 2025 - it's easy to dream big, especially when you're a team on the cusp of a potentially promising competitive window.

However, while a short-term free agent deal may be closer to the Royals' traditional open market practices, the finances will still likely be the road block here.

If we're talking a short-term deal, perhaps it's not out of the question to think that an Alex Bregman style deal with the Red Sox last offseason could be the approximate framework at play here for Tucker. Bregman signed a three-year, $120 million contract with an immediate opt-out after the first season.

Considering Tucker was rumored to be worth a $400 million contract this winter before this latest potential wrinkle, a contract worth $40 million plus a year still seems like the likely route in today's market.

The largest contract the Royals have ever handed out to an unrestricted free agent is Alex Gordon's four-year, $72 million deal ahead of the 2016 season. And apart from Salvador Perez's first extension of four-year, $82 million and Bobby Witt Jr's massive 11-year, $288.7 million, that's the largest deal the Royals have issued in general.

There's already been speculation that the Royals may have to clear money if they want to acquire an arbitration-level salary like Duran or Donovan, so it's hard to think that a more expensive deal for Tucker would be a simple feat.

Tucker would be the dream fit in a perfect world, but unfortunately that's just not the reality for Kansas City in this day and age.