The Los Angeles Dodgers officially signed Kyle Tucker to a four-year, $240 million contract, the club announced on Wednesday before their introductory press conference.
To make room on the 40-man roster, Michael Siani was designated for assignment.
Tucker played in 136 games for the Chicago Cubs in 2025, slashing .266/.377/.464 with 22 homers and 73 RBI. He finished the season with a 4.6 bWAR, earning his fourth straight All-Star appearance and his first in the National League.
The 29-year-old earned his second Louisville Silver Slugger Award at the end of the season, finished among the National League outfield leaders in homers (12th), RBI (12th), runs (91, 4th), OBP (2nd), slugging (5th) and on-base plus slugging (.841, 3rd).
Prior to joining the Cubs, he began his career with the Houston Astros. He played seven seasons for the Astros, posting a 22.8 bWAR, batting .274 with 125 homers and 417 RBI.
Tucker appeared in 64 postseason games with Houston, clubbing eight homers and driving in 28, leading the club to three World Series appearances (2019, 2021-22) and winning his first World Series in 2022 after posting a .706 OPS with three homers and six RBI that postseason.
The Tampa, Florida native has recorded three Top 20 finishes in the MVP ballot, including a Top 5 finish in 2023 when he led the American League with 112 RBI. He finished the campaign slashing .284/.369/.517 with 29 homers, 37 doubles and 97 runs scored. He earned his second All-Star nod and won his first Louisville Silver Slugger that season.
In eight Major League seasons, he has received other hardware, including a Rawlings Gold Glove in 2022 and an All-MLB Second Team Selection in 2021.
Tucker was originally drafted by the Houston Astros with the fifth overall pick in the 2015 First Year Player Draft out of Henry B. Plant High School in Tampa.
Although Tucker’s AAV is $60 million on the surface, when taking the deferrals into account, the present-day value of Tucker’s contract is lowered to $57.1 million. It nevertheless passes the $51 million AAV record that belonged to Juan Soto from the deal he signed with the Mets last offseason.
Tucker was the top free agent outfielder available and fills the Dodgers’ final significant roster deficiency heading into 2026.
The Dodgers, New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays were considered to be the three finalists prior to Tucker’s decision. It was believed the Blue Jays offered Tucker a long-term contract and were long considered the favorites to sign him before the Dodgers swooped in.
Tucker was projected to command a contract of up to $400 million at the beginning of the offseason. He became more open to a short-term deal as the negotiating process dragged along.
His new deal with the Dodgers includes an opt-out after the second year, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPN.
This contract structure allows Tucker to test the market again shortly after a huge short-term payday.
Dodgers’ penalties for signing Kyle Tucker
The Dodgers entered the offseason under the impression that they were unlikely to sign any big-name free agents. Manager Dave Roberts expressed confidence in the team’s roster and said a “big splash” wasn’t necessary. Though Roberts did also note, “Getting a high-leverage reliever is never a bad thing.”
The Dodgers have since signed closer Edwin Díaz to a record-setting contract for a reliever before adding Tucker.
Tucker and Díaz were two of the nine players who rejected the qualifying offer from their former teams this offseason, meaning the Dodgers are forfeiting multiple picks in the 2026 MLB Draft to sign them.
By surpassing the third competitive balance tax threshold this past season, the Dodgers gave up their second and fifth-highest picks to sign Díaz. They will now relinquish their third and sixth-round selections following the addition of Tucker.
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