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Kyle Tucker is certainly having a banner day, both personally and financially.
The newly minted $240 million outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers has had the specifics of his contract disclosed, underscoring the team’s ability to outpace even the most extravagant spenders in the league, including the New York Mets and Yankees, with their financial strategies.
Rather than securing a lengthy contract that Tucker might have anticipated at the onset of free agency, the Dodgers offered the former Chicago Cub a deal with an annual average value (AAV) of $60 million over four years. This figure stands as the second-highest in Major League Baseball history, surpassed only by Shohei Ohtani’s $70 million AAV, and marks the highest ever for a player who is not a dual-position star.
On average, Tucker will be earning $20 million more per year than three-time MVP Aaron Judge and $9 million more than Juan Soto, despite having only once placed in the top five for MVP voting during his career.
Adding to the appeal, Tucker’s contract includes options to opt out after the second and third years, according to ESPN. This gives him the flexibility to return to free agency and pursue a long-term contract following his 30th and 31st seasons, respectively, potentially securing an even more lucrative deal.
At worst, Tucker plays the full four seasons with the Dodgers, collects a cool $240 million and then attempts to land another notable deal entering his age-33 season.

The Dodgers also gave Tucker a $64 million signing bonus, per ESPN, which The Post’s Jon Heyman noted came in below the $75 million signing bonus in the Mets’ four-year, $220 million proposal.
As is the case with their big free-agent pacts, the Dodgers included deferred money in this offer with $30 million set for future years.
The Mets did not have any deferrals in their offer.
Even when factoring in those later payments, Tucker’s contract set the record for present-day value at $57.1 million per season, according to ESPN.
There are plenty of arguments that can be made about whether Tucker deserves such a lucrative deal, but the reality is that the Dodgers yet again flexed their financial muscle to bolster their roster.
The Dodgers have upgraded two lacking areas from the postseason this offseason by boosting their outfield with Tucker and previously splurging to steal closer Edwin Diaz from the Mets.
It’s truly the Dodgers’ world right now and top free agents like Tucker are enjoying the benefits.