IS KYLE TUCKER REALLY ON THE YANKEES RADAR?

It’s wild to think we’re getting into the Yankees’ season already, and yet... it still feels like we’re just now getting started. I’ll be honest—despite the excitement of that recent home run-filled weekend and all the buzz around the torpedo bats, this season feels strangely dull in my opinion. Maybe you feel differently, but for me, it’s been a bit of a snooze.

Let’s be real: this isn’t a dominant Yankees team. We’re not storming out of the gate with a 14–0 record or anything close to it. We're average. Middling. Just okay. And honestly, that’s exactly what I expected coming in.

Sure, seeing new faces like Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger in pinstripes is cool, and it gave the offseason a nice jolt of energy. The trades, the free agent buzz, the endless speculation—it was the best part of the winter. But the actual games? Meh.

Now, the rumor mill keeps churning, and the latest name thrown into the Yankees orbit is Kyle Tucker. According to Kevin Hickey over at The Sporting News, there’s some speculation about a potential connection between the Yankees and Tucker. Will anything come of it? Who knows. It honestly feels like another story designed to rack up clicks. Isn’t that what most of them are?

Here’s what The Sporting News had to say: “The New York Yankees will have a handful of needs to address following the campaign, and they're expected to be in the market for a superstar slugger.”

Then The Athletic jumped in, noting that Tucker could command upwards of $40 million a year—a price point the Yankees already proved they’re willing to hit after offering Juan Soto $47.5 million AAV. So yeah, it wouldn’t be shocking if they took a run at Tucker in free agency.

But honestly, the more pressing issue for this team right now is pitching. Pitching wins championships, and outside of Max Fried—who’s been the rock of the rotation—I don’t feel all that confident. Gerrit Cole being sidelined still stings. Carlos Rodón has been up and down, and the bullpen is anything but steady.

So why is Kyle Tucker even the conversation right now? It’s a head-scratcher. Maybe it's just the usual silly-season chatter meant to stir the pot and generate headlines.

We’ll see what happens, but for now, this feels like a classic example of off-field noise trying to distract from on-field mediocrity. Just more smoke, not much fire.