The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed outfielder Kyle Tucker on a four-year, $240 million contract, landing the consensus top player on the free-agent market. The deal includes opt-outs after the second and third seasons, a $64 million signing bonus, and $30 million in deferrals, with $10 million deferred in each of the final three years. Those deferrals reduce the contract’s present-day value to approximately $57.1 million per year, setting a new record for average annual value and surpassing Juan Soto’s $51 million AAV deal with the Mets.
Tucker, who turns 29 this weekend, is expected to step in as the Dodgers’ everyday right fielder and join an already loaded lineup featuring Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Will Smith, and Max Muncy. His arrival gives Los Angeles added flexibility in the outfield, where Teoscar Hernández could move from right to left field if needed, while Andy Pages remains the everyday center fielder and Tommy Edman is projected to be at second base following ankle surgery.
A four-time All-Star, Tucker brings an impressive resume that includes a Gold Glove, two Silver Slugger Awards, and a World Series title with the Houston Astros in 2022. He has played in the postseason in each of the past seven years and enters his age-29 season as one of baseball’s most complete players, combining power, plate discipline, defensive ability, and baserunning. From 2021 to 2023 with Houston, Tucker slashed .278/.353/.517 with 89 home runs and 69 stolen bases, compiling 16.3 Baseball-Reference WAR while establishing himself as a perennial star.
Tucker’s trajectory appeared to reach another level in early 2024, when he carried a .979 OPS through June 3 before a shin fracture sidelined him for nearly three months. He was later traded to the Chicago Cubs, entering the 2025 season in the season before free agency. With Chicago, Tucker hit .266/.377/.464 with 22 home runs, 73 RBIs, and 25 stolen bases across 136 games, though he missed most of September with a calf strain.
By adding Tucker, the Dodgers have addressed one of their few weaknesses from last season, when production from the corner outfield spots struggled behind the rest of the roster. Los Angeles, already coming off a championship run and boasting one of the deepest lineups in baseball, now features arguably the best corner outfielder available.
