After securing a 2025 World Series win, the Dodgers, with a league-leading $350 million payroll, are reportedly the favorites to land the top free agent on the market, Kyle Tucker.
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers are, once again, the repeating World Champions of Major League Baseball. But barely.
It took a series of “gigantic heroics” in a thrilling Game 7 to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto earning World Series MVP, Will Smith hitting a go-ahead home run, and Miguel Rojas providing both a crucial homer and a brilliant, game-saving fielding play.
They are, as one old scout put it, “the best team that money can buy.”
With a 2025 payroll that led all of baseball at $350 million (per Spotrac), the Dodgers proved that significant investment can, in fact, lead to championships. And frankly, they may not be finished adding to their “landscape-skewing” payroll.
Reports from multiple sources indicate the Dodgers are the front-runners to sign the No. 1 free agent on the market: superstar outfielder Kyle Tucker.
The $300 Million Question
Despite having the league’s highest payroll—which includes paying Tyler Glasnow a $30 million salary in 2026—the Dodgers are in the market for an offensive upgrade in the outfield. Tucker, who just finished a one-year stint with the Chicago Cubs, is the prime target.
Reports have surfaced that Tucker, 28, may seek a contract valued at more than $300 million. While the Dodgers also need to address their bullpen, paying for elite talent has never been an issue for the organization.
The Cubs and the Ricketts family could afford to keep Tucker, but the Dodgers’ willingness to top their already massive payroll makes them the favorites.
Why Tucker Makes Sense
When healthy, the 6’4″ left-handed-hitting Tucker is one of the most dangerous and complete players in the game. In 2025, during his one season with the Cubs, he:
- Played in 136 games
- Hit 22 home runs
- Drove in 73 runs
- Stole 25 bases in 28 attempts
He earned $16.5 million in arbitration, but an increase on a multi-year deal is expected. Tucker has been named to the All-Star team in each of the last four seasons, won a Silver Slugger in 2023, and a Gold Glove in 2022.
The Cubs are in a difficult position. They traded a significant package to Houston for him on December 13, 2024—including infielder Isaac Paredes, pitching prospect Cam Smith, and pitcher Hayden Wesneski. To see that package result in only a one-year “rental” would be a massive loss, which is why Chicago may get into the bidding.
However, the Dodgers’ outfield is the one place an upgrade is possible. If the season started tomorrow, the outfield would likely be Andy Pages, Tommy Edman, and Teoscar Hernandez (who is set to earn $14.7 million in 2026). Adding Kyle Tucker would create the most formidable lineup in baseball—again.
