Dodgers Free Agency Update: Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette, Cody Bellinger

Alex Bregman's five-year, $175 million deal with the Chicago Cubs was the latest domino to fall in MLB free agency, and the fates of three star bats will soon follow: Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette, and Cody Bellinger. The Los Angeles Dodgers have been linked to all three, but where do things stand?

USA Today's Bob Nightengale provided a helpful update on Tuesday in that regard. In reflecting on Nightengale's intel alongside other reports that have just emerged, we can arrive at a decent understanding of the current market and the most realistic landing spots for these three remaining offensive stars.

Where the Dodgers appear to stand with Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette, and Cody Bellinger

Kyle Tucker

Enormous developments in Tucker's free agency rose to the surface on Tuesday as FanSided's MLB insider Robert Murray reported that the New York Mets have offered Tucker a short-term, high-AAV contract in the realm of $50 million per year.

Four hours after Murray's report about the Mets and Tucker, ESPN's Jesse Rogers reported that the Toronto Blue Jays have also offered Tucker a deal. Per Rogers, Toronto's offer is a long-term one (with a much lower AAV than the Mets are offering, of course).

And the Dodgers? Nightengale wrote in his report that LA is "lurking" with a short-term deal at the ready for Tucker. Perhaps the Dodgers are waiting to see if the Tucker-Mets situation falls through. It's worth noting that Toronto's offer wasn't met with immediate action by Tucker's camp. This suggests that, despite it's long-term nature, it likely falls far short of the $400 million figure Tucker has been reportedly seeking since the start of free agency.

This gives the Dodgers reason to lurk. If Tucker ends up turning away from a Blue Jays deal he deems too cheap and opts instead to go down the short-term, high-AAV path, the Dodgers would be in a prime position for Tucker if anything goes awry in the Mets negotiations.

Cody Bellinger

If Tucker never becomes available to the Dodgers (as described in the above scenario), Bellinger still might. Belli and his agent Scott Boras are in a stare-down with the Yankees right now, with a five-year, $155-$160 million deal on the table. Boras wants a seven-year deal for his client, and he's claiming that Belli has other suitors that can compete with the Yankees' offer.

The Yankees don't appear to be budging on their offer, although they are willing to add opt-outs as sweeteners. The Yanks certainly don't want to call Boras's bluff and lose Bellinger to another team, much like the Boston Red Sox may have just done during the Alex Bregman negotiations.

Just like Tucker, Nightengale listed the Blue Jays, Mets, and Dodgers as suitors for Bellinger. The New York Post's Jon Heyman wrote that the San Francisco Giants also could make sense. It still feels like the Yankees are the Bellinger landing spot, unless one of the above teams (or another unexpected suitor!) swoops in and offers more years and more money.

The Dodgers aren't interested in doing that, but they'll definitely keep lurking (a habit of theirs, apparently) with a short-term deal prepared in case Bellinger's entire market gets turned upside down and talks with the Yankees evaporate.

Bo Bichette

It seems like the Philadelphia Phillies are gaining ground in the Bichette sweepstakes every hour, although multiple reports indicate that Philly is "cautiously" optimistic about a deal getting done. Bichette is extremely close with bench coach Don Mattingly, who was recently hired by the Phillies after leaving the Blue Jays following the World Series.

Toronto remains "in the hunt" for Bichette, according to Nightengale, as are the Dodgers. But Philadelphia's greatest threat for Bichette might actually be the Red Sox, who could be scrambling to make up for losing Bregman. Unexpectedly winning the Bichette sweepstakes would certainly achieve that goal and leave fans in Boston somewhat cured of their post-Bregman trauma.