...
By Jackson Roberts
Contributing Sports Writer
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
There are 29 teams in Major League Baseball who get very nervous when they hear the Los Angeles Dodgers connected to a free agent.
The Dodgers have already shown this offseason that they don't mind adding even more to their staggering $400 million-plus payroll, signing All-Star closer Edwin Díaz to a record-setting three-year, $69 million deal. They also need help in the outfield, and without many other suitors emerging for Chicago Cubs free-agent All-Star Kyle Tucker, it's become more realistic that the Dodgers might once again land the most expensive free agent of the winter.
However, one analyst believes the most probable outcome is that the Dodgers miss out on Tucker, which would be a major sigh of relief for most of their competitors, especially those in the National League.
Read More on MLB
...
On Wednesday, ESPN's David Schoenfield predicted that Tucker would sign with the Toronto Blue Jays, but he speculated one perhaps unlikely scenario that could lead to the Dodgers picking up the 28-year-old superstar.
"The Dodgers could shift Teoscar Hernandez to left field and sign Tucker to play right field, especially with the payroll about $43 million below where it was in 2025," wrote Tucker. "But do the Dodgers believe that much in Tucker to give him a megadeal?
"At some point, they do need to weave some younger position players into the lineup -- and their top prospects are all outfielders: Josue De Paula, Eduardo Quintero, Mike Sirota and Zyhir Hope. Tucker on a shorter deal with a higher (average annual value) might work if a longer one isn't out there for him."
The majority of reports linking the Dodgers and Tucker have mentioned that the club is unlikely to go long-term for the player, and because virtually all market value projections have Tucker's next deal coming in over $300 million, he hasn't seemed like a candidate to settle for one of the "pillow contracts" that other free agents have gone for in years recent.
But how high an AAV would the Dodgers be willing to go? There has to at least be a number at which Tucker would consider the matter, especially if there were opt-outs involved.
More MLB: Yankees Lose 5-Year Veteran Arm to Rising AL West Club
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines