Insider reveals Mets top outfield option after missing on Kyle Tucker

Reuniting with this outfielder makes more sense than ever for the New York Mets.

Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker pulls off his batting gloves on August 21, 2025. | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Many New York Mets fans had been getting their hopes up that the team would sign star outfielder Kyle Tucker in free agency.

On January 15, reports came out that Tucker's decision was imminent, and that the three finalists to sign him were the Mets, the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. It has been reported in the days prior that the Mets had offered Tucker a four-year deal that was worth around $50 million per year, which seemed absurd for anybody to pass up, even if there was a longer-term deal for Toronto on the table.

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Then, news broke on the night of January 15 that Tucker had signed a four-year, $240 million deal with the Dodgers. The Mets' final offer was four years and $220 million, which seemed like enough to get a deal done before the Dodgers came in and upped the ante. Now Tucker is joining the two-time defending World Series champions, who also poached Edwin Diaz away from the Mets earlier this offseason.

Sep 8, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Chicago Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker (30) in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Mets quickly pivoted to signing Bo Bichette to a three-year, $126 million deal, which was a great way to bolster their offense and add an infielder. Yet, New York's biggest need was an outfielder, and adding Bichette doesn't help with that at all.

Insider suggests it's time for Mets Harrison Bader reunion

Cody Bellinger would be the top option for the Mets after losing out on Bellinger, and it seems that signing Bichette wouldn't rule New York out of getting him. But there are other, less expensive yet still appealing free agent outfielders the Mets could target.

And one of them is a familiar face. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal wrote in a January 16 article that Harrison Bader would be a great short-term fit for the Mets, given that he could play either left field or center, which top prospect Carson Benge ideally filling in at the other spot.

“Harrison Bader fits the Mets short-term plan.”

- Ken Rosenthal

What an unmitigated disaster that would be. pic.twitter.com/CcExDLKPY7

— MetCast (@MetCastPod) January 16, 2026

Bader is coming off a career year with the Minnesota Twins and the Philadelphia Phillies, hitting .277 with a .796 OPS to go along with 17 home runs.

Bader especially excelled down the stretch for the Phillies, where he produced a .331 average and .889 OPS in 41 games with them. This was much better than the .236 average with 12 home runs and a .657 OPS that he produced during his 2024 campaign in Queens.

While Bader was never the Mets' top free agent option in the outfield, he would be a nice consolation prize, especially if the Mets also managed to secure a top starting pitcher via trade or through free agency.