Kyle Tucker has long been considered to be the best available free agent in the 2026 class.
Needing another corner outfielder, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been associated with the 28-year-old for months. There have been contradictory reports as to whether the interest in Tucker from LA’s standpoint is sincere. Other headlines seemingly have the Toronto Blue Jays (among others) being very serious suitors for Tucker.
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Some believe he’d be the perfect bat to throw into a lineup already loaded with superstars. Tucker is patient at the plate. He rarely chases, has a very good strikeout rate, and is above-average in terms of squaring the baseball up. Tucker also has plus-arm strength in the outfield.
However, the four-time All-Star — while very good at several things — is not elite in any one category. If the projected numbers are accurate, is he worth paying a 10-year deal worth north of $400 million when the team already has a host of other lengthy, expensive deals on the books?
Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain fleshed out the full comprehensive story, analyzing the positives and negatives for bringing Tucker into the fold. McKain himself seems a bit skeptical in giving the outfielder a megadeal. Should the Dodgers somehow convince Tucker to take a shorter-term deal with a high AAV, that would certainly seem to make more sense.
The Dodgers have a loaded farm system, and there’s a real case to be made that the top four prospects within the system are all outfielders. At some point, the team has to get younger and more athletic. If these prospects are as good as they’re being billed to be, clogging one of those spots with a possible Tucker 10-year deal doesn’t seem prudent considering the years of control at a very low cost those prospects will have once being called up to the big leagues.
While no one questions the fit of Tucker with the Dodgers, as always, it will come down to the value of a possible deal.
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Photo Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
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