Story by
Full details of Kyle Tucker’s outrageous Dodgers contract revealed — deferrals and all
- Story by
- Full details of Kyle Tucker’s outrageous Dodgers contract revealed — deferrals and all
It's a good — and lucrative — day to be Kyle Tucker .
The new $240 million Dodgers outfielder's contract details have been revealed and they just further reinforce how the back-to-back World Series champions simply are operating in a different stratosphere than even other top spenders like the Mets and Yankees .
Advertisement
Instead of giving Tucker the long-term deal he surely envisioned when free agency opened, the Dodgers handed the ex-Cub a $60 million annual average value (AAV) over four years, the second-highest mark in MLB history behind only Shohei Ohtani ($70 million AAV) and the largest figure ever for a non-two-way player.
He's making, on average, $20 million more than three-time MVP Aaron Judge and $9 million more than Juan Soto despite only finishing in the top five in the MVP vote once in his career.
Oh, and to make it even sweeter, Tucker can opt out after the second and third years of the deal, per ESPN , allowing him to potentially re-enter free agency and seek that coveted long-term pact after his age-30 and age-31 seasons, respectively.
At worst, Tucker plays the full four seasons with the Dodgers, collects a cool $240 million and then attempts to land another notable deal entering his age-33 season.
Advertisement
The Dodgers also gave Tucker a $64 million signing bonus, per ESPN, which The Post's Jon Heyman noted came in below the $75 million signing bonus in the Mets' four-year, $220 million proposal .
Kyle Tucker got the bag, as they say. Mark Hoffman-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
As is the case with their big free-agent pacts, the Dodgers included deferred money in this offer with $30 million set for future years.
The Mets did not have any deferrals in their offer.
Even when factoring in those later payments, Tucker's contract set the record for present-day value at $57.1 million per season, according to ESPN.
There are plenty of arguments that can be made about whether Tucker deserves such a lucrative deal, but the reality is that the Dodgers yet again flexed their financial muscle to bolster their roster.
The Dodgers have upgraded two lacking areas from the postseason this offseason by boosting their outfield with Tucker and previously splurging to steal closer Edwin Diaz from the Mets.
It's truly the Dodgers' world right now and top free agents like Tucker are enjoying the benefits.
