9:54 p.m.: The deal includes $30MM in deferred revenue, Heyman reported.
9:04 p.m.: It’s a four-year, $240MM deal, reports FanSided’s Robert Murray. Tucker could be out after the 2027 season. There is also an option to opt out after 2028, according to Passan.
8:53pm: Kyle Tucker is agreeing to a deal with the Dodgers, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports. It’s a short-term contract, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
The two-time defending champions have done it again. Tucker is the latest star addition to what was already MLB’s most feared offense. Tucker joins the list that is already included Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Will Smith, Max Muncy, Teoscar Hernández again Tommy Edman. He will join Hernández once Andy Pages as forwards, Edman can also cut in the middle of the field when he is not in the second position.
Los Angeles has four outfield prospects that rank prominently near the top of their farm system. It is said that they wanted to avoid closing long-term commitments as a result. They have accomplished that in the most annual numbers in sports history. The four-year, $240MM contract will come with an additional $60MM AAV. It is not yet clear to what extent, if any, the potential amortization rate will drop that number in net present value terms.
As it stands, Tucker’s deal contains the second-highest annual price in history. Technically Ohtani earned a $70MM AAV for his 10-year, $700MM guarantee, though the massive deferrals involved meant he had a “true” annual value closer to $46MM. So one should look at the annual salary of $51MM open This is Juan Soto’s place 15 years, $765M deal as a more accurate record holder.
Although Tucker was a free agent this offseason, he is a clear step below the likes Aaron is the judgethe Ohtani and Soto of the past three winters. Tucker was a consistent All-Star who was just outside the top tier of players in the MLB. The fifth overall pick by the Astros in 2015, Tucker came off the shortened 2020 season after hitting the big leagues the previous two years. He connected on 29 or 30 home runs in his first three full MLB campaigns, improving his offensive technique along the way.
Tucker was already a top player and appeared to be on his way to closing in on Judge, Soto and Ohtani for a strong start to the 2024 season. Tucker hit .266/.395/.584 with more walks than strikeouts through the first two months. He hit the ball on his right leg and was placed on the injured list with what the Astros initially called a shin contusion. It was very serious, as subsequent tests revealed a fracture that kept him out of action for three months.
The four-time All-Star didn’t return to action and ended up being a big monster in September. The Astros however decided to make trade calls after the season. They wouldn’t meet Tucker’s asking price in an extension and feel they can cash him in for help elsewhere on the roster. They made a deal with the Cubs about the Winter Meetings that they sent Isaac Paredes, Hayden Wesneskiand hope Cam Smith to Houston in Tucker’s final year of arbitration.
Tucker’s one season in Chicago had its ups and downs. He’s off to another torrid start, sporting a .284/.359/.524 slash and 12 homers on the first day of June. Tucker jammed his right thumb into second base on a stolen base attempt that day. He avoided the injury list, but subsequent tests revealed that he suffered a small fracture at the top of his hand between his ring and pinky fingers.
The hand injury was not considered a serious problem until Tucker’s performance began to suffer. That didn’t happen right away. His next few weeks were his best of the season, in fact. Tucker slashed .311/.404/.578 in 25 games that month. Things took a turn for the worse in July, as he hit .189/.325/.235 with just one home run over the next six weeks.
The presence of hair breakage was not reported until mid-August. Cubs officials acknowledged that Tucker was injured in June but said he was still healthy when the injury was made public. Perhaps the thumb became a recurring explanation for what was a simple breakdown, although he may have had some subtle bad habits in June as he tried to ease the pain of a blowout during the break. Manager Craig Counsell gave Tucker a three-game mental overhaul in late August before plugging him back into the middle of the lineup.
Tuker appeared to be back on track when he hit another speed bump. He sprained his left calf in early September and went on the injured list, costing him three weeks in the final month of the season. He finished the regular season with a .266/.377/.464 line in less than 600 trips to the plate. He hit .259 with one homer in eight postseason games as the Cubs advanced to the NL Division Series.
More to come.
