Dodgers take new approach to add Kyle Tucker to star-laden lineup
LOS ANGELES — If the Dodgers are going to be the ruination of baseball and the fuel behind an extended work stoppage next year as many doomsayers are predicting, they aren’t going to lose any sleep over it.
“For us, we just don’t pay much attention to that because we operate within the rules and do everything we can to put ourselves in the best position both short term and long term and we’re not thinking about more macro things outside of that,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Wednesday. “It is about how can we win as many games and put ourselves in the best position to win a championship in 2026 without really compromising ourselves out into the future and falling off that proverbial cliff.
“It’s the balance and maintaining of those two things that are our sole focus.”
The Dodgers’ latest mega-millions acquisition that set off another round of dire forecasts of the death of competitive balance was made official on Wednesday with Kyle Tucker introduced at Dodger Stadium. The 29-year-old four-time All-Star fills a need in the outfield, taking over right field from Teoscar Hernandez who will move back to left field and hitting either second or third – Manager Dave Roberts’ early thought, hedged with “I don’t want you guys to hold me to it right now” – in a lineup likely to include All-Stars in seven of the nine spots most nights.
“Throughout the offseason we’ve talked a lot about how high the talent bar was of this current club, and how there’d only be a few available players that we felt would be real needle-movers when it comes to bringing another championship to Los Angeles,” General Manager Brandon Gomes said. “Kyle Tucker is at the very top of that group, and one of the most complete players in all of baseball.”
As such, he was a coveted free agent this winter and had his choice of multiple nine-figure contract offers. But those offers split into two categories. The Toronto Blue Jays reportedly offered a long-term, lock-it-in-for-a-decade contract – 10 years for $350 million. Meanwhile, the Dodgers and New York Mets offered shorter commitments but with much higher annual salaries.
Tucker, who just turned 29 last Saturday, opted for the Dodgers’ four-year, $240 million contract which gives him the second-highest average annual value salary (behind Shohei Ohtani) and includes opt-out clauses after the second and third years.
“Obviously, it’s a big decision so you still have to weigh out everything,” Tucker said. “But … this team and the city and the fan base kind of makes it a little bit easier to make some decisions. That was ultimately what we wanted to do, is come here and be a part of that, and try to win another World Series here.”
The Dodgers have tried this approach before – most notably when Bryce Harper reached free agency in 2019. They offered Harper $180 million over four years, a contract that would have set a new MLB record for average annual value (AAV). But Harper instead accepted the Phillies’ 13-year, $330 million offer.
“Obviously we started lower,” Friedman joked about the team’s $60 million-per-year offer to Tucker. “I think when we’ve seen these kinds of shorter-term, higher-AAV deals, I don’t think they’ve ever come when they also had a really long, significant deal as well. Not that I can remember. Usually guys take those shorter-term deals because a longer-term deal hasn’t materialized, so it’s a chance to kind of reset and go back out to the market. He had that opportunity.
“So for us it was about selling the opportunity to play with these guys, to play in front of these fans, to play in this city, to connect with this community, and who knows? It doesn’t mean that it has to be (only) two, three, four years here. It could be longer than that. And I think for him to choose us when he had other longer-term and other shorter-term I think speaks to the growth and progress that we’ve made in creating a destination spot.”
The Dodgers weren’t interested in “adding another long-term (deal) to the books,” said Friedman, out of an awareness of the aging core the Dodgers are currently built around. Only one position player under age 30 (Andy Pages) started more than 45 games for the Dodgers last season.
“We talk about this a lot, just kind of managing the short term and the long term,” Friedman said. “In the short term it’s easy to take the core talent we have in place, the nucleus that we have and say, ‘Anything we can add to that.’ You don’t want to be flippant about what we have right now in this moment in time. That being said, we have to try to balance it with three, four, five years out. As those guys, the guys that are currently under contract, get out three, four, five years, infusing young players over that time is going to be really important for us to be able to maintain.”
Tucker’s addition further solidifies the Dodgers as favorites to win a third consecutive World Series championship – something that has only been done by two other MLB franchises (the Oakland A’s in the 1970s and the New York Yankees multiple times). This was not lost on Tucker when making his decision.
“Obviously from the top down, from ownership groups and the front office, it’s a first-class experience,” said Tucker who has played in the postseason each of the past seven seasons and won a World Series with the Houston Astros in 2022. “Playing here is exciting. You can see the fan base really embrace the team, embrace the city and want to encourage players to go out there and play at a high level. And I think the players speak for themselves with the play that they do on the field, winning multiple World Series championships.
“This is a great group of guys. I’m excited to join that and have another run at the World Series.”
Signing with such a star-laden team tempers some of the pressure that usually comes with being the new big-money free agent in town. But Roberts didn’t temper his expectations for Tucker, saying he “absolutely” sees Tucker as a potential MVP candidate even on a team with three former winners.
“He’s a five-tool player,” Roberts said. “He loves to compete. He loves to play the game. He pours into the community. He’s a smart player. We talk a lot about having smart players. He likes to play. He posts. His enthusiasm. There’s an inner fire I’ve seen.”
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In order to add Tucker to the 40-man roster, the Dodgers designated outfielder Michael Siani for assignment. Siani was claimed on waivers from the Atlanta Braves in December.
Meanwhile, infielder Ryan Fitzgerald cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A. Fitzgerald was claimed on waivers from the Minnesota Twins earlier this month then designated for assignment to clear a roster spot for Andy Ibanez last week.