The Dodgers have done it again.
After landing the best reliever in free agency in Edwin Díaz back in December, Los Angeles has now agreed to a lucrative contract with the market’s top hitter, Kyle Tucker.
The Dodgers and Kyle Tucker agreed to terms on a four-year, $240 million deal on Thursday night, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, which makes him MLB’s highest paid player in terms of the average annual value of their contract at $60 million. The contract reportedly includes $30 million in deferred money, all in the last three seasons, bringing the net present AAV down to around $57 million. Though a much shorter deal, he’s making an average of $6 million more annually than MLB’s previous highest earner, Juan Soto.
Let’s run through some takeaways from the latest addition to the Dodgers’ goldmine of talent.
1. Kyle Tucker is the new highest-paid player in MLB
Tucker’s new deal will see him make an average of $60 milliion per season, which makes him MLB’s highest paid player in terms of the average annual value of their contract. From a pure contractual standpoints, he’s making an average of $9 million more per year than Mets outfielder Juan Soto, whose deal previously topped that list.
Tucker is outstanding––a four-time All-Star and a Gold Glove winner in the outfield, but it’s stunning to see just how big a payday he secured from the Dodgers. For a player who has never hit more than 30 home runs in a season, he’s been rewarded extremely handsomely. Has his production truly warranted becoming MLB’s top earner?
2. Tucker can get paid both now and later thanks to opt outs in his contract
Tucker turns 29 on Saturday, and reports indicate his contract will include opt outs after years two and three of the deal. That puts Tucker in position to collect $120 million or $180 million from the Dodgers over the next two to three years and then return to free agency before his age-31 or age-32 season. He’d then be able to sign a massively lucrative long-term deal with a new team, assuming he plays up to his usual standards in L.A.
Tucker hit the lottery with this contract, earning huge bucks in the short term while keeping himself flexible in terms of his long-term future and potential earnings down the line.
3. The Dodgers one-upped the Blue Jays. Again.
One of the other teams invested in the Tucker sweepstakes were the Blue Jays. Fresh off their World Series loss to the Dodgers, Toronto was hoping to bolster its own roster by adding the All-Star outfielder to the mix. Reports indicate they were willing to make a big offer to Tucker as they look to even the scales. In the end, however, the Dodgers lured him away, in what is yet another painful blow for the Blue Jays.
The Mets were also in the mix for Tucker, and they’ll be disappointed to see another one of their targets head to L.A., having also lost out on the chance to bring back Díaz this offseason.
4. Dodgers add one of MLB’s most experienced postseason players
Not only is Kyle Tucker an elite talent, he also boasts plenty of postseason experience. Tucker has played in 72 playoff games in his career with nine home runs and 29 RBIs and has appeared in the World Series in three different seasons. Though his postseason slash line of .233/.317/.376 isn’t the stuff of legends, that type of experience is invaluable for a team with the Dodgers’ incredibly lofty aspirations as the franchise aims to three-peat as World Series champions.
More MLB on Sports Illustrated
- Mets in Agreement With All-Star Shortstop Bo Bichette on Three-Year Deal
- Seven Dodgers Payroll Facts That Will Make You Reconsider a Salary Cap
- SI:AM | Rich Get Richer With Dodgers’ Signing of Kyle Tucker
- What Blue Jays, Mets Reportedly Offered for Kyle Tucker Before Dodgers Swooped in
- Dodgers World Series Odds Notably Surge After Signing Kyle Tucker
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Four Takeaways From Dodgers’ Addition of Kyle Tucker in Free Agency.
