{"id":522856,"date":"2026-01-16T03:55:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T03:55:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/522856\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T03:55:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T03:55:13","slug":"kyle-tucker-contract-details-top-free-slugger-officially-departs-from-cubs-for-two-time-defending-champion-dodgers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/522856\/","title":{"rendered":"Kyle Tucker contract details: Top free-slugger officially departs from Cubs for two-time defending champion Dodgers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kyle Tucker contract details: Top free-slugger officially departs from Cubs for two-time defending champion Dodgers<\/a> originally appeared on The Sporting News<\/a>. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

MLB’s top free-agent bat is off the market.<\/p>\n

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Former Houston Astros<\/a> and Chicago Cubs<\/a> slugger Kyle Tucker, ranked as the best position player available this offseason, is somewhat stunningly heading to the two-time defending World Series champions, the Los Angeles\u00a0Dodgers,\u00a0per Jeff Passan.<\/a><\/p>\n

As a do-it-all outfielder still on the right side of 30, Tucker has locked in a deal to join the Dodgers, MLB’s clear-cut favoriteto win another title in 2026.<\/p>\n

Here’s everything to know about Tucker’s new contract.<\/p>\n

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MORE: Tracking all the moves made in the MLB offseason<\/a><\/p>\n

Kyle Tucker contract details<\/p>\n

Passan reported Thursday night<\/a> that Tucker was heading to L.A, then added<\/a> that it will be a four-year, $240 million contract for the outfielder. It reportedly includes opt-outs after the second and third seasons of the deal.<\/p>\n

All offseason, the Dodgers were a known fit for Tucker, but it was expected that they would only do a shorter-term, high-AAV contract \u2014 exactly like the one Tucker landed. Tucker’s $60 million per year is set to become the second-highest AAV of any contract in baseball, trailing only Shohei Ohtani<\/a>‘s $70 million, per MLB Trade Rumors.<\/a><\/p>\n

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With that massive per-year dollar amount offered by L.A., Tucker bit on it. It helps that the Dodgers are also seeking to three-peat in 2026, a proven winning organization where plenty of stars have thrived in recent years. Tucker won’t be asked to carry the lineup, but rather drive in runs when pitched to as he provides further star power for Dave Roberts.<\/p>\n

Based on his reported opt-outs, Tucker is locked into the 2026 and 2027 season with the Dodgers, but could become a free agent again after then.<\/p>\n

After just one season, the deal also means Tucker is officially moving on from the Cubs. Chicago acquired him from the Astros in December 2024, taking a one-year swing on one of the best bats in the league. Tucker hit .266\/.377\/.464 as an All-Star for a playoff Cubs team this past season, but with Chicago pivoting to Alex Bregman in free agency, Tucker was bound to sign elsewhere.<\/p>\n

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The highlights of Tucker’s career came in Houston from 2018-24, earning three All-Star nods, a Gold Glove award, two Silver Sluggers and a World Series ring with the Astros. As one of the few players viewed to have a five-tool skill set (average, power, speed, fielding, arm strength), Tucker was expected to be highly-paid this offseason.<\/p>\n

Kyle Tucker stats<\/p>\n

Here’s a look at Tucker’s career numbers.<\/p>\n

Season<\/p>\n

Team<\/p>\n

Games<\/p>\n

AVG<\/p>\n

HR<\/p>\n

RBI<\/p>\n

OPS<\/p>\n

2018<\/p>\n

Astros<\/p>\n

28<\/p>\n

.141<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

4<\/p>\n

.439<\/p>\n

2019<\/p>\n

Astros<\/p>\n

22<\/p>\n

.269<\/p>\n

4<\/p>\n

11<\/p>\n

.857<\/p>\n

2020<\/p>\n

Astros<\/p>\n

58<\/p>\n

.268<\/p>\n

9<\/p>\n

42<\/p>\n

.837<\/p>\n

2021<\/p>\n

Astros<\/p>\n

140<\/p>\n

.294<\/p>\n

30<\/p>\n

92<\/p>\n

.917<\/p>\n

2022<\/p>\n

Astros<\/p>\n

150<\/p>\n

.257<\/p>\n

30<\/p>\n

107<\/p>\n

.808<\/p>\n

2023<\/p>\n

Astros<\/p>\n

157<\/p>\n

.284<\/p>\n

29<\/p>\n

112<\/p>\n

.886<\/p>\n

2024<\/p>\n

Astros<\/p>\n

78<\/p>\n

.289<\/p>\n

23<\/p>\n

49<\/p>\n

.993<\/p>\n

2025<\/p>\n

Cubs<\/p>\n

136<\/p>\n

.266<\/p>\n

22<\/p>\n

73<\/p>\n

.841<\/p>\n

Career<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

769<\/p>\n

.273<\/p>\n

147<\/p>\n

490<\/p>\n

.865<\/p>\n

How old is Kyle Tucker?<\/p>\n

Kyle Tucker is 28 years old. He will turn 29 on Jan. 17, 2026.<\/p>\n

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MORE:Ranking the top MLB free agents<\/a><\/p>\n

Kyle Tucker career timeline<\/p>\n

2026-present: Los Angeles Dodgers<\/p>\n

Tucker, the No. 5 pick in the 2015 MLB Draft, was brought up in the Astros’ farm system during their prime years as an AL title contender, developing into one of the most consistent outfielders in baseball. With Houston, Tucker won the 2022 World Series and appeared in two other Fall Classics.<\/p>\n

However, with the growing possibility that the Astros would not resign him once he hit his 2025 free agency, they traded him to the Cubs after the 2024 season. Chicago wound up using him as a one-year rental, sending\u00a0Isaac Paredes,\u00a0Hayden Wesneski\u00a0and prospect\u00a0Cam Smith\u00a0to Houston.<\/p>\n

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Tucker was at the heart of the Cubs’ playoff lineup this past season, but as his free agency approached and the team reached the offseason, it became apparent that he wouldn’t be returning to Chicago. The Cubs made that all but official by inking Bregman to a long-term deal.<\/p>\n

Now, Tucker joins the Dodgers for at least the short-term future, as he’s locked into the squad for 2026 and 2027, then reported has opt-outs. If he doesn’t exercise them, Tucker will be in Los Angeles through the 2029 season.<\/p>\n

MORE:Every player committed to Team USA for the World Baseball Classic<\/a><\/p>\n

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Kyle Tucker career earnings<\/p>\n

According to Spotrac,<\/a> Tucker has made a total of $40,475,737 in his MLB career so far. Most of that came from the 2025 season, when he made an estimated $16.5 million with the Cubs.<\/p>\n

With his reported $240 million deal to join the Dodgers, however, Tucker’s career earnings are about to skyrocket even more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kyle Tucker contract details: Top free-slugger officially departs from Cubs for two-time defending champion Dodgers originally appeared on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":522857,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2389],"tags":[72,42,5,451,24,39,1432,139,54,3211,893,29,4,468],"class_list":{"0":"post-522856","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston-astros","8":"tag-alex-bregman","9":"tag-astros","10":"tag-baseball","11":"tag-cam-smith","12":"tag-chicago-cubs","13":"tag-dodgers","14":"tag-hayden-wesneski","15":"tag-houston","16":"tag-houston-astros","17":"tag-houstonastros","18":"tag-isaac-paredes","19":"tag-kyle-tucker","20":"tag-mlb","21":"tag-shohei-ohtani"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/115902763747025772","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=522856"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522856\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/522857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=522856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=522856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=522856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}