Every offseason, there’s one free agent who sucks all of the air out of the room. This past offseason it was Juan Soto; the one before it was Shohei Ohtani. The projected top star of the 2025-2026 offseason, Kyle Tucker, is a lower-key name, but is still expected to rake in hundreds of millions, and the Dodgers are going to be right there in the bidding war.
Tucker was included on Jeff Passan’s recent list of upcoming megadeal contracts and predicted to make $500 million or more in his first foray into free agency. The Cubs, who traded for him in the offseason and are reaping the rewards at the plate, still have time to extend him, but initial reported talks make it seem like there hasn’t been much in-season progress yet, and most MLB execs believe he’ll test free agency, which will be the Dodgers’ time to shine.
On Sunday, insider Bob Nightengale wrote, “The Los Angeles Dodgers plan to jump into the free-agent fray for Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker this winter. They may not be the high bidder, but they’ll surely keep everyone honest just as they did when they were in the Juan Soto sweepstakes.”
Dodgers expected to make a play at the biggest star of the upcoming offseason, Kyle Tucker, in free agency
Cubs fans desperate to keep Tucker in Chicago had to see this coming. It makes sense; Michael Conforto only signed a one-year deal with the Dodgers, and so far he’s given them little incentive to invite him back. The Dodgers have a lot of money and are seemingly never satisfied despite all of the stars they already have.
Tucker is currently batting .269 leads the Cubs with a .910 OPS in 37 games. He’s tied for the most homers (10) with Pete Crow-Armstrong, is tied with Seiya Suzuki in RBI (32), leads qualified players in walks, and is second to last in strikeouts.
But the things is, none of this is new to him. If Max Muncy’s performance through just 73 games last year was impressive, Tucker’s through 78 was even more so. He spent most of the season on the shelf with a shin injury, but when he was healthy, he .289 with a nearly 1.000 OPS, 23 homers, 49 RBI, and two more walks than strikeouts.
As Nightengale noted, the Dodgers may not present Tucker with the highest offer when the time comes, but just their presence in the race is going to strike fear into the hearts of other suitors.
