The Los Angeles Dodgers continued to flex their financial muscle by agreeing to terms with top free agent Kyle Tucker on a four-year, $240 million contract. The deal includes $30 million in deferred salary and a pair of opt-outs.
The Dodgers’ reported signing of Tucker comes just over a month after the team inked one of the best closers in Edwin Díaz to a three-year, $69 million contract. L.A. has significantly improved its roster on the heels of winning back-to-back World Series titles.
The Dodgers’ seemingly unlimited budget has ruffled the feathers of several MLB team owners, with some calling for a salary cap in the next collective bargaining agreement (CBA) to curb aggressive spending.
According to Evan Drellich of The Athletic, the league is even more motivated to push for a salary cap in the wake of the Dodgers signing Tucker:
Major League Baseball owners are “raging” in the wake of Kyle Tucker’s free agency agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers and it is now “a 100 percent certainty” that the owners will push for a salary cap, one person briefed on ownership conversations who was not authorized to speak publicly told The Athletic.
“These guys are going to go for a cap no matter what it takes,” the source said.
MLB team owners believe a salary cap is necessary to improve competitive balance while the players remain strongly against one as it would limit their potential earnings.
The possible implementation of a salary cap is the biggest issue dividing the sport at present and will be a major focus when CBA negotiations begin in the spring.
If MLB and the Players Association are unable to agree to a new CBA by Dec. 1, a lockout will likely go into effect. Commissioner Rob Manfred previously said it is his top priority to ensure the league doesn’t lose any games in 2027 if a work stoppage occurs.
Rob Manfred wants to address competitiveness & blackouts in next CBA
Manfred highlighted competitive balance and blackouts as two areas he wants to address in the next round of CBA talks.
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