With the 2025 MLB season on the way, some are looking forward to the free agent class for next offseason, and the top two players scheduled to hit the market are Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays and Kyle Tucker of the Chicago Cubs. It will be interesting to see who ends up signing the bigger contract next winter, but MLB insiders unanimously said Guerrero will get the bigger deal, even though Tucker might have interest from more teams due to his position and more well-rounded game.

“Vladdy will be younger with more name value, but position value will matter,” Keegan Matheson, MLB.com Blue Jays reporter wrote. “I still expect Guerrero to be the star of free agency. He's such a recognizable face around the game, and after hearing him speak Tuesday, I expect him to put up a monster season in 2025.”

Guerrero is the more recognizable name, as Matheson pointed out, and will bring a lot of fan interest to any team he signs with. He is one of the top bats in the game. Tucker is a more well-rounded player, a very good hitter and strong defender, but Guerrero is a few years younger, and will be 26 as a free agent in comparison to Tucker being 28.

MLB.com Yankees reporter, Bryan Hoch, speculated that Guerrero gets the bigger contract due to his star power and marketing value, while Tucker has more teams interested in him. MLB.com Mets reporter, Anthony DiComo, echoed the same sentiments. Mark Feinsand, brought up another factor at play, saying that the Blue Jays are desperate to keep their face.

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“Tucker will draw more interest based on his position and overall game, but Vladdy will land the biggest contract of the offseason,” Feinsand wrote. “The fact that his current team could be desperate to bring him back can't be discounted, especially since the Jays have found themselves on the short end of so many high-profile free-agent pursuits the past two years.”

This is a valid point, as the Blue Jays could be more motivated to re-sign Guerrero than the Cubs are with Tucker. The Cubs acquired Tucker this offseason as a rental, so they likely would want to re-sign him, but he is not an established staple of the franchise like Guerrero is with the Blue Jays. Toronto could possibly drive the price up on Guerrero, and another factor at play is that the New York Mets might not be in on Tucker after just signing Juan Soto and having Brandon Nimmo under contract in the outfield for years to come. Guerrero is arguably a better fit for the Mets.

Come next offseason, it will be interesting to see where both players land and the size of their contracts.