The Dodgers are back in the World Series after sweeping the Brewers out of the NLCS to defend the title they won last year, but as they wait to see which of the Mariners and Blue Jays will emerge from the ALCS to challenge them for the Commissioner’s Trophy, their front office appears to have set its sights on the upcoming offseason. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported tonight that Los Angeles is expected to target the star outfielder Kyle Tucker When free agency opens after the World Series.
The news doesn’t come as a surprise, as the Dodgers regularly deal with big-name free agents in the game. They are famous for winning draws on both sides Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto They missed out on young superstars last winter during the 2023-24 offseason Juan Soto After being one of five finalists for his services, they still continued to spend heavily on free agents as they brought in Blake Snell, Sasaki Rikiand Tanner Scott and a few other signings and re-signings.
As impressive as the Dodgers have been this year, one of the few major flaws with the team is their performance in the outfield. Andy Pages (113 wRC+) has become a legitimate regular in the midfield, but Teoscar Hernandez (102 wRC+) last year relative to his first season in Los Angeles and Michael Conforto The experiment ended disastrously, with him posting an 83 wRC+ and negative WAR in 138 games before being left off the club’s postseason roster. With Conforto returning to free agency this winter, there’s an opening on Los Angeles’ grass that Tucker would fit nicely into.
Tucker, 28, is a four-time All-Star and is unanimously considered the top free agent this winter. He burst onto the scene in 2021 with the Astros, and since then he’s hit a whopping .277/.365/.514 (143 wRC+) in five seasons. His resume was so impressive that the Cubs were convinced to pass on the No. 1 pick Cam Smith and the All-Star third baseman. Isaac Paredes (With young starters Hayden Wesneski) in a three-man package to acquire Tucker before his final year under team control. Tucker was everything the Cubs had hoped for in the first half of the year, hitting .291/.295/.537 with 17 home runs in 83 games through the end of June.
At that point, it seemed likely that Tucker would find himself in the middle of a debate over whether he would join Ohtani, Soto and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. This winter, the guaranteed amount will exceed $500MM. However, in the second half, things took a turn for the worse. Tucker has been on the injured list twice and has hit just .225/.348/.342 in 53 games since July 1, giving him fewer home runs in 136 games this year (22) than in 78 games (23) in his injury-shortened 2024 season.
Heyman wrote that Tucker’s struggling second half has lowered his expected price somewhat, but that a $300 contract is still realistic and even $400 is a possible target for the outfielder’s camp. That price tag is sure to give many suitors pause if it ever comes to fruition. That’s unlikely to be the case for the Dodgers, who have a payroll of $395 this year, according to RosterResource, and that number will drop to $329 next year without offseason additions. Even if Los Angeles isn’t willing to exceed this year’s payroll (and there’s no indication yet that that’s the case), they still have plenty of budget room to add Tucker if they choose to.
Looking at other potential suitors, the Cubs have at least expressed interest in bringing Tucker back to the team next year. Having said that, it should be noted that they never spent more than the $184MM they gave Jason Hayward During the 2015-16 offseason, he signed the largest contract in the club’s history. It would be a major leap out of the club’s apparent comfort zone under chairman Tom Ricketts and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, although trading Tucker would arguably be equally out of character to begin with.
Heyman also suggested the Red Sox, Phillies and Giants could all be in the mix for Tucker’s services, though none of those potential landing spots are as obvious a fit as Los Angeles. Boston’s outfield mix is very crowded; Jalen Duran, Roman Anthonyand Villier Abreu Of all the left-handed outfielders under long-term team control, they have an everyday role and perform best at the corner. Phillies make clear priority this winter is retaining star DH Kyle Schwarberit remains to be seen whether the Giants are interested in adding another corner bat on a massive contract following the trade. Raphael Devers Come back in June.
