A year ago, Juan Soto’s free agency held the baseball industry hostage right up to the eve of the winter meetings, when he agreed on a record 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets.

In what seemed like a matter of minutes, the rest of the market opened for business, spurring the Yankees’ near-instantaneous pivot to Max Fried (eight years, $218 million) and the Cubs’ blockbuster trade for Kyle Tucker.

Now Tucker will be on the move again, this time presumably to the highest bidder, and it’s unclear if the slugging outfielder will be the Soto-type trigger for these winter meetings in Orlando. But if not Tucker, then who?

The idea of Tucker, the best bat available, as a fallback option seems ludicrous to suggest. But that perception stems from a price tag that is expected to approach

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