LOS ANGELES – After winning another championship, making them the first Major League Baseball team to repeat the title in a quarter-century, the Los Angeles Dodgers downplayed their ability to dominate the transfer market. They believed their roster was already good enough and vowed to let the market provide them with opportunities rather than actively seeking out big stars.
Anyway, they got them.
Kyle Tuckerconsidered the best player available in free agency, agreed to join the Dodgers on Thursday, sources told ESPN, a little more than a month after the star closer Edwin Diaz did the same. Tucker’s contract is for four years and $240 million and includes buyout clauses after the second and third seasons, ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Jesse Rogers reported.
The Dodgers rarely grant buyout clauses under president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. However, they made a similar concession for the Japanese starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto two offseasons ago and they finally did the same with Tucker, a mechanism that helped them beat the New York Mets and the Toronto Blue Jays to acquire his services.
Tucker, who turns 29 on Saturday, steps in as the starting right fielder and joins a star-studded lineup that includes Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Will Smith y Max Muncy. The addition of Tucker could lead the Dodgers to trade the outfielder Teoscar Hernandezbut a source close to the team indicated that this is not definitive. The team can easily relocate Hernández from right field to left field, with Andy Pages as starting center fielder and versatile player Tommy Edmanrecovering from ankle surgery, established as a second baseman.
Tucker’s contract includes $30 million deferred, a source told ESPN, confirming several reports. This brings his current average annual value to $57.1 million, a record figure that surpasses the $51 million average annual value of the contract of Juan Soto with the Mets. Since the Dodgers are already on track to surpass MLB’s highest luxury tax threshold in 2026, which implies a 110% tax, Tucker will cost them $119.9 million annually.
To make up for those deferred payments, the Dodgers also gave Tucker a $64 million signing bonus, $54 million of which will be paid up front, according to a source.
According to sources, this does not represent a problem. Dodgers owner Mark Walter has generated tremendous revenue from Ohtani’s presence over the past two seasons and benefits from a lucrative, unbreakable local media contract at a time when many teams are seeing their media revenue decline. Walter has been firm in his decision to reinvest that money in the squad, especially given the possibility of winning three consecutive championships and the imminence of a possible work stoppage.
Possible LAD lineup 2026
DH Ohtani
SS Betts
1B Freeman
C Smith
RF Tucker
LF Teoscar
3B Muncy
2B Edman
CF Pages— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) January 16, 2026
The Dodgers paid nearly $170 million in luxury taxes last year, more than the Mets and New York Yankees combined, who ranked second and third, respectively. Its payroll subject to the competitive balance tax (CBT) reached $417 million. Under Tucker, his CBT payroll is projected to be slightly over $400 million by the end of the season, according to Cot’s Contracts.
When healthy, Tucker is one of the most talented players in baseball: a complete hitter who excels on defense and is a threat on the bases. Tucker demonstrated this with the Houston Astros, the team that selected him fifth overall in the draft out of high school, between 2021 and 2023, a period in which he posted a batting average of .278/.353/.517 with 89 home runs and 69 stolen bases, in addition to accumulating 16.3 wins above replacement (WAR) according to Baseball Reference and winning a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger.
The 2024 season promised to be even better. As of June 3, Tucker had a .979 OPS and appeared poised to be an MVP candidate. However, he missed three months with a fractured tibia and was traded to the Chicago Cubs during the following offseason, thus entering his final year before becoming a free agent.
Tucker hit .266/.377/.464 with 22 home runs, 73 RBIs and 25 stolen bases in 136 games with the Cubs, a team that boasted one of the best offenses in baseball, although he missed most of September with a calf strain. His outfield coverage was poor for the third straight year, although his arm power remained above average.
Tucker entered the offseason as the top free agent in a class that lacked true stars.
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel projected an 11-year, $418 million contract, but Tucker’s market was limited. In the end, it appeared only the Blue Jays were willing to offer him a long-term contract, and industry sources were skeptical that Tucker would want to play in Toronto. The Mets offered him a contract worth around $50 million a year, according to ESPN sources, but many doubted he wanted to play in New York. Los Angeles, where Tucker can play for a contending team without having to shoulder the responsibility of a franchise, ultimately became the ideal destination, confirming a trend.
Three offseasons ago, the Dodgers signed Ohtani to a $700 million contract, with $680 million deferred, and offered Yamamoto the largest contract ever given to a starting pitcher: a 12-year, $325 million deal. A year later, they signed Blake Snell with a five-year, $182 million contract. Now they have Tucker, who becomes their eighth player with a nine-figure contract (along with Tyler GlasnowBetts, Freeman and Smith). This isn’t even including Diaz, who turned down the Mets for a three-year, $69 million contract on December 9.
The Dodgers won the World Series last year despite having a disastrous bullpen, doing so by using numerous starting pitchers – including Roki Sasakiwho became a closer late in the season – to maintain the lead in the late innings. By signing Diaz, the Dodgers reinforced their roster’s biggest weakness and balanced a pitching staff led by a stellar rotation. With the addition of Tucker, they filled the need for a left-handed hitting outfielder. Instead of going the conservative route and getting one through a transfer, they signed the best player available.
Both Diaz and Tucker signed contracts after turning down qualifying offers, meaning the Dodgers will lose their second, third, fifth and sixth round picks in this summer’s draft. Additionally, they will pay more than double in taxes for both players. And in the end, it doesn’t matter.
For the Dodgers, all that matters is winning.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Jesse Rogers contributed to this report.
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