Dodgers signed Kyle Tucker and more because rest of MLB failed to look ahead

The rich got substantially richer when the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Kyle Tucker to a four-year, $240 million deal. Did the Dodgers need Tucker? Not particularly: They've won back-to-back World Series titles and would've been favored to win a third whether they got Tucker or not. There are reasons why L.A. was ultra-aggressive in their pursuit of the outfielder, though.

First, Tucker is a 28-year-old superstar in his prime who happens to play at a position of weakness on the Dodgers' roster. Why wouldn't they want a player like that if they can afford to pay him? Second, and perhaps more importantly, a look at the upcoming free agency classes on the position player front shows Tucker should've been more coveted by the rest of the league than he was. He'll help Los Angeles attempt to threepeat, but with a lack of other options on the open market, signing Tucker now gives them the best chance to win in the future, too.

Upcoming free agency classes leave a lot to be desired

2026 key position player free agents

Having Ronald Acuña Jr. as the headliner sounds good, but the Atlanta Braves will almost certainly pick up his $17 million club option, keeping him away from free agency. The same can likely be said about Yandy Diaz, who has a cheap club option with the Tampa Bay Rays.

With that in mind, the best free agents figure to be Bo Bichette and Jazz Chisholm Jr. — and there isn't even a guarantee that Bichette will test the open market, given the short-term, high-AAV deal he just signed with the New York Mets. It's not as if Bichette and Chisholm are bad players, but when comparing them to recent high-end free agents like Tucker, Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani, they don't exactly come close.

2027 key position player free agents

The 2027 free agency class looks rather stacked on the surface, but a closer look at the best position players set to be available suggests it isn't nearly as impressive as it might otherwise seem. Acuña could be a free agent, but again, the Braves figure to keep him around on an impossibly cheap club option. Tucker could opt out, but will he really pass on earning $60 million in 2028 and 2029? I have my doubts. Bichette and Bellinger could also opt out, but they'll both be in their 30s, and it's not guaranteed.

The best surefire free agent is Freddie Freeman, one of the game's best players ... who will also be 38 years old when he hits the market. Freeman might still be a productive player at that point, but chances are, he won't be the superstar he is right now. Both William Contreras and Adley Rutschman are coming off mediocre seasons; will they be able to improve their value enough to be considered true high-end options? Are guys like Jeremy Pena and Steven Kwan really that exciting?

There are certainly better players here than in the 2026 class, but again, it lacks the true star power Tucker provides.

These teams dropped the ball letting the Dodgers sign Kyle Tucker

The Dodgers paid a hefty price few teams could match or beat, but these four teams should really regret not pursuing him more seriously.

New York Mets

The New York Mets tried to sign Tucker, and actually wound up offering him more present-day money as their reported four-year, $220 million deal included no deferred cash. But evidently, their offer was not enough. Would the Mets matching or beating the Dodgers' offer have been enough? I have no idea. I also have no idea if Tucker even let them make another offer. Still, Steve Cohen has lots of money, and the Mets could have kept going.

Their pivot to adding Bichette, Luis Robert Jr. and Freddy Peralta was a very good one, but Tucker, a legitimate superstar, would've been a fantastic piece to add around Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor.

Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays were the only team that seemed to be willing to give Tucker the kind of long-term deal you'd expect a marquee free agent to covet, but their reported 10-year, $350 million offer really fell short when looking at the deals the Dodgers and even the Mets offered.

I understand not wanting to give Tucker a higher AAV than Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s $35.7 million mark, but the result of their refusal to do so is Tucker playing on the team that beat them in this past season's World Series. That could prevent the Jays from ever getting over the hump.

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees were never seriously in on Tucker, and I'll never understand why. Sure, he cost a lot of money, but the Yankees have a ton of it, no matter what Hal Steinbrenner wants you to think. The bottom line is that Tucker gave the Yankees the kind of co-star Aaron Judge needs to go on a World Series run.

Instead, New York re-signed Cody Bellinger, handing him a five-year deal that pays him an average salary of $32.5 million annually. Tucker would've required a larger financial investment, but he's worth it. The Yankees haven't won a World Series since 2009, and the longer they refuse to pursue high-end free agents, the longer that streak will persist.

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs never swim in the kind of waters that were involved in signing Kyle Tucker, but knowing this, why exactly did they trade for him only to show no interest in keeping him around long-term? Sure, they wound up trading for Edward Cabrera and even spent a large chunk of change signing Alex Bregman, but as great as Bregman is, he isn't Tucker.

When Tucker was fully healthy and performing like his MVP-caliber self, the Cubs looked like legitimate World Series contenders in the NL. When he struggled, the rest of the team did as well. Don't be surprised to see the Cubs' offense and World Series dreams fall short of expectations as a result of Tucker's departure.

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