The Los Angeles Dodgers are less than a week removed from their World Series parade, but as we know about this organization, the path to next season's Fall Classic has already begun. The Dodgers are the most well-run franchise in MLB, and it's not all that close. It starts with their additions via free agency or trade, and continues via the draft, player development and international scouting. The first phase of Los Angeles' busy offseason, free agency, is well underway, with players receiving qualifying offers this week. That list includes Kyle Tucker of the Chicago Cubs, considered by most pundits as the crown jewel of the market.
Tucker is expected to receive a contract north of $400 million when all is said and done. One could argue no team is better suited to give Tucker the money he's earned than the Dodgers, and don't be surprised if they do so via unique means. As we learned last winter, the Dodgers love offering up deferred money. This allows them to stay near the luxury tax line and add more talent in the interim. As it turns out, the Dodgers have a need at corner outfield. Could Tucker fit the bill?
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How the Dodgers could pay Kyle Tucker
Michael Conforto hasn't quite panned out in a Dodgers uniform. Conforto hit under the Mendoza line this past season, and is a free agent Los Angeles is unlikely to retain as a result. As Mark Feinsand notes, the Dodgers have close to $65 million coming off the books. While that's hardly a drop in the bucket for baseball's richest roster, it makes a difference on the books and via the luxury tax for LA. While it should come as no surprise that Tucker is linked to the Dodgers – they'll likely be in the mix for several top-tier free agents at positions of need – how they could get a deal done is unique in a sense.
The Dodgers could aim for a short-term, high-AAV contract with Tucker, but that seems unlikely given he's the top free agent on the market who will surely search for more longevity on the deal he eventually signs. LA has a path forward in that form as well.
As of last February, the Dodgers deferred money on the books reached over $1 billion. Ownership doesn't mind that, as they rake in money hand over first while stars like Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and more are on the roster. They can afford to pay these stars over a longer period of time, as the memories they make on the field will fuel the payroll for generations.
Deferred dollars give the Dodgers an edge in Kyle Tucker's free agency
Assuming Tucker is in search of a long-term contract that will make he and his family comfortable for decades, why not sign a deferred contract? Tucker could live comfortably in sunny Los Angeles for 20-plus years.
There is some risk that comes with signing Tucker. He only played 78 games in the field, but is chasing corner outfield money. There's a very good chance that he could one day be a very expensive designated hitter, especially later in his contract. However, Tucker is still just 28 years old, and is coming off a 4.6 bWAR season, which was down by his standards. Since 2021, Tucker has finished his season with over 4.4 bWAR each year. He's made the All-Star Game four times in that span.
What makes the Dodgers interest in Tucker all the more enraging for the rest of baseball is that they'd be adding to an embarrassment of riches. There's a saying in MLB that organizations cannot buy a World Series, but the Dodgers have won two straight.
Calls for a salary cap ignore the simple fact that every lever the Dodgers pull to their advantage is available to 29 other teams. Deferred contracts, as much as they've becoming synonymous with LA's front office strategy in free agency, could be offered elsewhere. Thus far, 29 other teams have failed to match the Dodgers energy in that regard, though there have been a few outliers.
If you can't blame them, it's about time some of those contenders joined them, at least until the next CBA.