The Dodgers are back in the World Series to defend the title they won last year after sweeping the Brewers out of the NLCS, but while they wait to see which of the Mariners and Blue Jays will emerge from the ALCS to challenge them for the commissioner’s trophy it appears their front office has already directed one eye towards the coming offseason. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports this evening that Los Angeles is expected to target star outfielder Kyle Tucker when free agency opens up following the World Series.
The news is hardly a surprise, as the Dodgers are routinely involved with the game’s marquee free agents. They famously won the sweepstakes for both Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto during the 2023-24 offseason, and while last winter saw them miss on young superstar Juan Soto after landing as one of five finalists for his services, they still went on to spend plenty in free agency as they brought in Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, and Tanner Scott among a number of other signings and re-signings.
Impressive as the Dodgers have been this year, one of the team’s few major flaws is their production in the outfield. Andy Pages (113 wRC+) has emerged as a legitimate regular in center field, but Teoscar Hernandez (102 wRC+) took a significant step back last year relative to his first season in Los Angeles and the Michael Conforto experiment ended disastrously as he posted a wRC+ of just 83 with negative WAR in 138 games before being left off the club’s postseason rosters. With Conforto headed back into free agency this winter, there’s an opening on the grass in Los Angeles that Tucker could fit into quite nicely.
Tucker, 28, is a four-time All-Star who is the consensus pick for this winter’s top free agent. He broke out with the Astros back in 2021, and since then he’s hit a sensational .277/.365/.514 (143 wRC+) across five seasons of work. His resume was impressive enough that the Cubs were convinced to surrender top prospect Cam Smith and All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes (alongside young starter Hayden Wesneski) in a three-player package to acquire Tucker ahead of his final year under team control. Tucker was everything the Cubs were hoping for in the first half this year, as he slashed .291/.295/.537 with 17 homers in 83 games through the end of June.
At that point, Tucker seemed likely to find himself at the center of discussions about whether or not he’d join Ohtani, Soto, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in landing a guarantee of more than $500MM this winter. Things took a turn for the worse in the second half, however. Tucker made two trips to the injured list and hit just .225/.348/.342 in 53 games from July 1 onward, leaving him with fewer homers (22) in 136 games this year than he managed in 78 games during his injury-shortened 2024 season (23).
Heyman writes that Tucker’s tough second half has knocked down his expected price tag somewhat, but that a $300MM contract could still be realistic with even $400MM as a possible goal for the outfielder’s camp. That’s the type of price tag that’s sure to give pause to plenty of suitors, should it come to fruition. That’s unlikely to be the case for the Dodgers, who have a payroll of $395MM this year according to RosterResource and will see that figure drop to $329MM next year without making offseason additions. Even if Los Angeles isn’t willing to surpass this year’s payroll (and there’s been no indication that’s the case to this point), they’d still have plenty of room in the budget to add Tucker if they so chose.
Looking at other potential suitors, the Cubs have indicated at least some interest in bringing Tucker back into the fold next year. With that said, it should be noted that they’ve never spent more than the $184MM they gave Jason Heyward during the 2015-16 offseason on a contract in club history. That would be a significant jump out of the club’s apparent comfort zone under chairman Tom Ricketts and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, though it could be argued that trading for Tucker in the first place was similarly out of character.
Heyman also suggests that the Red Sox, Phillies, and Giants could be in the mix for Tucker’s services, though none of those potential landing spots are quite as obvious fits as Los Angeles is. Boston has a very crowded outfield mix as it is, with Jarren Duran, Roman Anthony, and Wilyer Abreu all left-handed outfielders under long-term team control who belong in everyday roles and profile best in a corner. The Phillies have made it clear their top priority this winter is retaining star DH Kyle Schwarber, and it remains to be seen if the Giants are interested in adding another corner bat on a massive contract after trading for Rafael Devers back in June.
jesus christ
dodgers havent bought enough superstars yet?
tucker too?!
Tell me you’re not taking Jon Heyman seriously.
Tucker is not a Boras client, so the usual snark re Heyman does not appear to be relevant.
seam – Yes, and I do believe the Dodgers like to stay away from Boras clients as much as possible.
That was a big part of knowing Seager and Belli were gonna be gone before they were gone.
seamaholic though Heyman mostly sticks to Boras clients, he will randomly throw out “big named free agent” being persued by “large market team” (usually the Yankees) regardless of agent.
chandlerbing is the master at commenting first and thinking last, Joe says…
He is not to be taken seriously.
As long as his new address and team doesn’t start with “Chicago” it works for me.
Are you crazy? its not our money. I’d.love to have him back even despite the injuries and ineffectiveness.
I’ll help him pack if he’ll leave now.
When parking, tickets, concessions and other perks of the ballpark go up, you’ll see that it is your money helping to field players.
What does ot matter, we’re done anyway? And if youre looking to point fingers, while youre at it you.might want to look @ PCA. He was terrible in the 2nd half and even his defense suffered a bit. Happ was bad first half, then got hot for awhile but was awfule when we needed him.
Aloha Uncle, Many Cub fans don’t understand that Tucker even before his injury and horrific slump had bad splits. They don’t want to hear that he didn’t perform well in Wrigley. We need gritty players that can deal with real weather, the outdoors. Tucker came from a nice closed in dome/park his first 7yrs in the majors. His defense also regressed in Wrigley. Nothing against him. I’ll help you pack his bags, lol! Take care now. Mahalo!
I’ll take crap for it but I’ll say right now I’d take Tanner Scott and his bad season and 3 year 54 million or whatever it is and let Tucker walk and consider myself ahead of the game. I’d gamble that Tanner Scott will save or win more games the next 3 years than Tucker.
kgcubs, thank you for saying what I said all season, and took a lot of heat for saying. I’m not sure why so many of our fellow Cubs fans have not wanted to acknowledge the obvious. To be a star, you have to do “star things” once in a while, and Tucker never did. And it’s telling that his two best games of the season were in Houston and Anaheim. He should go somewhere that is more congenial to his skills, such as they are, and good luck to him there. He never should have been a Cub.
Except for in Tampa.
@neurogame
Of course it is….the end user always pays the freight.
Aloha Alan, you’re very welcome! As I always say, nothing against tuck, this trade didn’t make sense from the get go. The FO knew they needed pitching and to solidify the infield, meaning allow Paredes to hold down the position at 3rd til either Shaw or Cam could take it over. Then make a trade of certain Cub players for say a TOR, top of rotation pitcher. Instead as the Astros gm said it well, it was a no-brainer for him, 1yr of tuck or 14yrs of control between 3 players: a former all-star, a prospect with a high ceiling and a pitcher. Tuck didn’t work out as expected and I hope they don’t spend to bring him back. Let him go and wish him well. Take care now. Mahalo!
We’re approaching the usual point when Heyman starts making things up, just a couple weeks early this year..
Jesus Christ has joined the chat.
If you listen to the TV broadcasters, Jesus is apparently wearing #17 for the Dodgers.
According to my Bible, Jesus didn’t have the fastball.
Good thing Ohtanis interpreter took the heat for the betting eh? Lmao whatta sham
Eh. Jesus was okay but Felipe and Matty were better.
“You trying to say Jesus Christ can’t hit a curve ball?”
Only 2 people in mlb history have hit 3 home runs in a single postseason game and struck out at least one batter in their career. Shohei Ohtani and Kiké Hernandez
I wonder if Jesus needed Tommy John surgery but was 2000 years too early. I think one of the disciples kept telling him to stop spinning the ball so hard, the centurion is not going to hit it.
Babe Ruth hit three home runs in game 4 of the 1926 World Series and he struck out 488 batters in his career.
and this is just weird- they literally have 3 of the most interesting young OF prospects in baseball- so they do not need a long term piece that tucker would be- they need a 2 year stop gap.
note- De Paula, Quintenero and Hope, all 3 are 20, reached AA (except Quinenero who is in high A). They should all be ready in about year since elite prospects tend to need less time in the upper minors- and for refrenve MLB.com as quinenero 34th overall, and is the worst rated of the bunch- and they are low on him. This is an elite group of prospects.
Prospects are just suspects until proven otherwise.
Although they do have talent in the minors like you mentioned, remember that they have the oldest infield in baseball and Ohtani in his prime. They can’t waste the best years of him like the Angels did and need to maximize the productivity that’s left from Freeman (36 yrs), Muncy (35 HRs), Betts (33 yrs), Teoscar (33 yrs).
Bringing up those prospects and having them succeed may be the ideal, but perhaps they’d feel more comfortable with the return on output with a sure thing like Tucker.
Dodgers always just trade their prospects for stars they can shovel money to.
LAD catcher and CF said “hi seam!”
More seriously, Freeland will likely get a lot more PAs next year.
And the prospects—most of the time—turn out to be poop. LA’s system maybe good but—looking at Outman, Ruiz, Lux, Verdugo and a host of others—is nothing special. Thy trade those over-hyped players to get the quality ones. Or the pay the big bucks and defer the cost.
Cory seager
Cody bellinger
Michael Busch
Ryan Pepiot
Zach McKinstry
Alex verdugo
And many more…
All produced by the dodgers farm system.
Color me shocked!
. .
O
George Steinbrenner era was child’s play compared to this Dodgers franchise today.
Chandlerbing
What about Jesus Christ? I know you can’t comment without talking about Jesus Christ, it’s difficult, but do try.
Please don’t use the name of my Lord and yours in vain.
Sniff Sniff. As long as your cheap owners aren’t willing to do so, the Dodgers will. You’re crying to the wrong people.
Hey what’s going on?
Have you checked all the Padres balls to see where the dead ones are coming from?
Please, for the love of God please don’t.
This is just to rile up the fans. There will be a handful teams looking to sign him. Dodgers simply check on everyone that’s all.
Until they actually sign him and rile up everyone outside of California
Dave Roberts said the goal is for everyone to be angry
@sad
That’s not what Dave Roberts said. Put it in context. What Doc said was:
“Before the season started, they said, ‘The Dodgers are ruining baseball,’” Roberts said. “Let’s get four more wins and really ruin baseball.”
The context doesn’t make it better
It’s now an accurate quote.
Better? It can’t get any better.
If you don’t get the irony–the humor– that’s just too bad.
Butter – No, I actually called out Tucker to the Dodgers a while ago when others were saying they’d target Skubal.
I pointed out the need for offense is there, especially with the aging Dodgers position players.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Tucker is the only big name Dodgers acquisition this coming offseason.
Theoretically they could acquire both Tucker and skubal because they have some salary coming off the books, like Michael conforto and Kirby Yates
Would Detroit be willing to pay teoscar Hernandez? He would be a great fit in their lineup
They aren’t moving Teo. He’s great in the postseason and has played through a bad groin while getting crap for his fielding. He’s messing the team in RBIs this postseason.
Yes, let’s get rid of that for regular season stats.
Hasn’t He suffered enough???
That is great news. If that gets him the most money, good for him. The other owners want to be cheap and whine and cry poverty while making hundreds of millions and their fans are so easily fooled it is pathetic.
Under the current MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), teams contribute almost half of their local revenue to a central pool, which is then equally redistributed among all 30
With this in mind, each team receives AT LEAST $110 million annually from the local revenue share, plus approximately $90 million from shared national revenue, for a total of over $200 million in shared funds.
Now, how the owners of those teams use that extra revenue is up to their discretion. How do you think your team is using it?
Yes we know that the bob nuttings and John fisher’s are cheap, which is why there needs to be a salary floor
But, if they only add a floor but keep this current luxury system, the dodgers will still have an advantage because Pittsburgh would only spend right at the floor but LA can get to 400 million
@sad That’s not a Dodger problem. That’s a cheap owner problem.
I literally just explained how it would still be unfair
Unfair to the fans of teams with cheap ownership. Yes I agree.
why do 49 pct of registered voters agree what’s his name is a fascist?
Why do the majority of posters in this comments section think this is a baseball site?
I would bet on LA getting both Tucker and Bichette than them getting neither
There isn’t a need for Bichette.
Might as well grab a spare infielder/DH
We have Edman, who is better in the postseaso.
We have Hernandez, who turns into one of the best players historically in the postseason.
We have Rojas, who can play the entire infield and really helped Mookie with his SS transition.
All the are great clubhouse guys. We don’t need another utility player. We definitely don’t need another DH.
And two out of the three are relief pitchers as well.
Sure there is. They don’t really have a SS. I’m sure they’d love to throw Mookie back in right.
Do you watch the games seama? Mookie is playing top flight shortstop, making spectacular plays daily. In the short term–no pun intended–he’s not going back to the OF.
Yeah it would be so nice for the dodgers to have muncy and teoscar on the bench
Bichette is no longer a quality ss. He’s better suited at 2b.
No one wants anyone from the 2017 Astros on the Dodgers.
A few years ago there was a rumor they were considering one of them and the backlash was immense.
Mookie is rated as a better defensive shortstop than Bichette. It wouldn’t make sense to pay the latter all that money just to be a defensive downgrade.
Was thinking Bichette at 2nd anyway. Mookie is the gold glove winner at SS this year
And then they can casually bench Tommy Edman
Tucker will get a dumb contract, the Dodgers don’t give out dumb contracts.
I take the Dodgers envolvment solely to make sure any competition pays top dollar so they have less to spend elsewhere.
Maybe they can get the Mets to give him a massive contract so they have a lot of annual costs in him and Soto. That would be ideal, as they are one of the main big spenders in the league at the moment.
If they can bid up the price of the most expensive free agent two years in a row, that’s working smart.
SALARY
CAP
And floor. Plus deferred money needs to be addressed.
Addressed? Why? Jae?
Meaning, how. Thanks autoincorrect.
Only Dodger fans require an explanation. The money placed in escrow should be counted the same as the salary while active. No other franchise has the revenue streams to be able to compete. Granted most would be unwilling if they did, but they don’t.
If they aren’t getting that money today why should it apply today?
They the players are not getting it but they the team is paying and putting it in escrow. The issue is what the team is paying not when the player is receiving it.
Deferrals aren’t as big a deal as people think they are. The Dodgers are paying every dime of Ohtani’s salary … just not to him yet. It is a lux tax evasion strategy to some degree, yes, but he still counts something like $50m vs the tax every year. Point being, only the Dodgers and one or two others could have signed that contract because they are actually sending $70m every year into escrow.
You are correct up to calling it a tax evasion strategy. No tax is evaded. And it’s less than no big deal. It’s no deal at all.
It is a tax evasion strategy if following his playing career he relocates to a low-tax residence. At least on CA legislator introduced a bill to outlaw this practice.
So, this can mean, and I stress can, that while he plays CA residents lose out on that tax revenue.
Not that I agree or disagree, but there is enough here to raise eyebrows on some.
the arguement is that a team carrying that on their books will use it as a reason to not pay players later, so they are paying players now that would harm players in 5 years.
No state (with an income tax) would allow any worker to get away this, and I don’t see a need for a law to prohibit it. Income is taxable when and where it is earned.
No such argument exists.
He counts $46 million towards the tax. They are placing about $44 million in escrow and with compounding interest that will pay the $68 million being deferred to 2034 to 2043.
His contract is laid out in this way:
10 years/$700M (2024-33)
signed by LA Dodgers as a free agent 12/12/23
24-33: $70M annually, with $68M deferred each year
deferred money will be paid without interest in equal $68M installments each July 1 from 2034 to 2043
discounted to reflect present value, the deal is worth:
– $28,210,787 per year for purposes of calculating annual salary, using the 10% rate required by Article XV(k) of MLB’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (8.5% prime rate, plus 1%, rounded to the nearest full percentage point)
– $28,313,523 for 2024 per MLB’s Labor Relations Department
– $46,076,768 for purposes of calculating average annual value for Competitive Balance Tax payroll, using a 4.43% rate (Oct. 2023), the annual IRS mid-term rate required by CBA Article XXIII(E)(6)
– $437,830,563 in total, according to calculation by MLB Players Association
I find it funny how Ohtani is playing the way he is, not making a fuss and never bashing others or making a fool out of himself, while internet denizens go to all-out warfare with keyboard weaponry to oust his supposed dictatorial Tojo-like chokehold on baseball.
It’s hilarious.
You are right on the math but I think it is easier to understand deferrals when they are explained as loans to the team, on which the team pays interest at a rate set in the CBA. The CBA itself describes them this way.
Also, the deferral accounts are not an escrow. They are held by and invested by the team. The only third party involved is MLB. The teams must send them quarterly reports on the deferral accounts.
For once I agree with you, Stein, and you put it very well.
The Dodgers would be paying ~$40 million more in tax this year and next and we’ll see what after the next CBA. They are taxed on the “present value” of the contracts but never pay tax on the actual value of those deals.
I don’t pay tax on my 401K deposits, but do when I take the money in retirement. They will never pay luxury tax on those deferred $’s.
So try again to tell me how no tax is evaded?
You obviously don’t understand present value. He is not earning $70 million per year if $68 million is deferred each year for 10 years. The Dodgers are investing that money in the meantime, not him,
Blue, in this case Ohtani earns no interest. The team on the other hand is relying on interest to make up the difference between the $44 million they are required to place in escrow and the $68 million deferred payment.
That money is not held by the team. The CBA requires it to be held in an escrow account. The team may be able to choose the escrow company and the types of investments made with the interest earned on that account, but they cannot withdraw and use the principal so it is very much an escrow account.
mlbplayers.com/_files/ugd/4d23dc_d6dfc2344d2042de9…
No you don’t understand how it works. Dodgers pay out Ohtani’s salary while he is playing, like for any other player. Only difference is it goes to a bank not him, where it grows. The team does not have to fit his salary into their budget after he’s gone.
Wrong. Income is taxed where and when it is PAID to the earner. Avoiding CA income tax through deferrals is an old trick that high earning tech execs have used for years. The state legislature has been toying with banning it for a long time.
Seam, You have to defer that money until 10 years after you retire or until you reach 62 years old. Tech execs are not getting tax breaks by deferring money. They are getting tax breaks because they take their income in stock and then borrow money against that stock to live and invest with. They only pay taxes on that stock when they sell it.
@ outinleftfield We’re really getting down in the weeds now, but I suggest you look closely at the language in the CBA. I’ve read the pertinent sections in this “fascinating” document several times. The word “escrow” does not appear in Section XVI (Deferred Compensation), and it makes very clear that the deferred salaries are managed at the discretion of the team so long as they are investing in liquid assets. The language also gives the teams the ability to invest in non-liquid assets with the approval of the player.
None of this could be done if these are escrow accounts, which by definition are controlled by a third party. It also says specifically that that “such amount(s) funded are subject to the claims of the Club’s general creditors.” This means if the team goes into bankruptcy, the deferred compensation funds are not protected. If they were in escrow, they would be. So, in fact, they are handled more like trust accounts, similar to an IRA or 401(k).
The interests of MLB and the PA as described in the CBA language are in assuring that the club has the money to make the deferred payments when they are due. This is why they are reported quarterly to both MLB and the PA.
Players are happy (They get the amount they are looking) I assume they are not getting this number in NPV.
Teams are happy (cash flow plus lower CBT number)
How can this be a problem when the 2 sides are OK?
This is the american way. Get it now pay it latter.
The Raven
It is a tax evasion strategy if following his playing career he relocates to a low-tax residence.
========================
Regular folks do that all the time. They earn their pensions and their 401k’s in NY, then move to FL or DE to enjoy their deferred savings tax-free.
It’s ridiculous for a team to put deferred money into essentially a saving account let it accrue enough interest
===========================
There is nothing ridiculous about it. People don’t make the connection, but their social security and pensions and 401k’s work the same way.
Someone takes your money, they invest it and make more money, and then pay you off later.
“None of this could be done if these are escrow accounts, ”
There would be -0- interest by any team in taking your money, investing it at 4.5% interest, and they paying you 4.5%. It would be extra work for no extra earnings. The team does it because they feel they can make more money than the ~ 4.5% interest.
FWIW, it’s the same thing with insurance, particularly life insurance. They aren’t making money on getting your premiums and paying your estate 50 years later. They make money on the earnings from your invested premiums.
pepenas34
How can this be a problem when the 2 sides are OK?
========================
It’s only a problem for fans that don’t understand how deferrals work. If my boss tells me that I won’t get a bonus this year, but if I wait until next year, I’ll 20%, why would anyone besides me care?
Joe, true story — and why it’s important to understand that deferred salary is a loan to the team. The team pays a modest fixed rate of interest to the player for the loan, and then invests the loaned funds pretty much as they see fit. A hedge fund such as the one owning the Dodgers, is confident that they can make more on the loan than the CBA requires them to pay. This was 4.45% when Ohtani signed his contract, but will be lower now. (The rate for 2025-26 will be set in a couple of weeks.) The team can also be hurt if they invest poorly. See: Wilpon investing deferred salary with Bernie Madoff.
Is this a semantic problem?
Would you have been ok if the deal was announced:
Ohtani signed for $460MM over 10 years with money deferred and paid with interest.
Im only talking baseball.
CBT lux tax is not the same as government tax.
Baseball is a monopoly. You don’t see revenue shearing from the most successful companies subsidizing the ones that can’t catch up.
More bull.
I have a deal for you, wiseguy. I will buy your house for market value today, and agree to pay you for it in full ten years from now.
Deal?
It isn’t a semantics program, it’s an understanding of arithmetic problem.
Im sorry but I don’t see how Dodgers are circumventing any tax, they are paying $2 MM and being tax $46 MM in lux tax.
In many cases elite figures from different sports go bankrupt fast after their careers finish. How do you know is not bad for everyone to have some deferred? and protect from them and the ones who surround you.
If this is a problem They are going to fix the semantics so people don’t get confused with NPV.
I don’t live in USA, that’s why I don’t talk about the other stuff .
I’ve learned a long time ago that stupid cannot be fixed.
69th rounder, 420th HOFer
You probably also don’t see a problem with companies like blackrock buying up properties
======================
1-As long as I have a fair chance of buying the property, and there is no monopoly, I don’t care.
But just a couple of snippets from Investopedia:
“BlackRock …manages money for clients—mainly through index and exchange-traded funds (ETFs)—and doesn’t directly own much rental property.”
“Blackstone tried to set the record straight in 2019, pointing out that Invitation Homes represented only 0.1% of single-family homes in the U.S.”
69th rounder, 420th HOFer
So you’d be ok if businesses and the rich took a portion of employees salary, put it into a savings account for said employee to pay out once they leave the company, and as a result it lowered businesses/rich tax bill by let’s say half for doing such every year so they pay even less in taxes?
==================
1-As part of my remuneration package, if my company paid me in company stock and put it in my 401k, I’d have no problem with it.
2-If the company used that money to buy another company, and the other company makes money, then they pay tax on those earnings.
I’m not seeing the issue, and the richest company I ever worked for did, and it worked pout well.
69th rounder, 420th HOFer
It’s that not every team has the ability to match deferrals
=========================
Every team can afford deferrals, and can afford to defer 100% of their salaries. If I can afford to pay you $20,000 for a new roof, then I can afford to pay you $20,000 plus 4.5% a year from now. This is simple math.
If you want to argue the point that some teams are richer and some are poorer, go right ahead. I’d be fine if the owners and union agreed to put both a floor and a ceiling on the salaries.
A hedge fund such as the one owning the Dodgers, is confident that they can make more on the loan than the CBA requires them to pay.
========================
That all there is too it; nothing more. Why do banks pay 4% interest on MM funds? To invest the money. And regular people can do the same by buying on margin and paying interest on the borrowed portion.
Blue Baron
The income paid into public retirement systems are not taxed at the federal level but only at the state and local levels while working.
=========================
Yup, my spouse falls into that category, but I’m not sure how many states do that. And I don’t think that has always been like that. But it makes 100% perfect sense to tax them today.
69th rounder, 420th HOFer
And the business can claim significant tax write offs, reduce their overall tax bill,
=======================
I presume that you don’t have a 401k, because that’s how 401k’s work.
There are a number of variations, but when my company contribute 4% of my salary to my 401k, that portion of my remuneration is tax deferred, and the company gets to deduct that contribution.
“it’s an understanding of arithmetic problem.”
=========================
It’s an accounting problem. Everyone should take one semester of accounting.
69th rounder, 420th HOFer
Let me guess blue skies LA you see nothing wrong with billion dollar companies like black rock buying up houses
=========================
BlackRock, in contrast, manages money for clients—mainly through index and exchange-traded funds (ETFs)—and doesn’t directly own much rental property.
pepenas34
How do you know is not bad for everyone to have some deferred?
=========================
Deferred salary is one of the best inventions of the 20th century. We’re not rich, but my spouse and I will likely see more income in retirement than while we worked. I know that the markets could go sideways, but we’ve done pretty well.
That it doesn’t use the word escrow, does not mean its not an escrow account. Anytime you cannot touch the principal and are required to reinvest the interest or profits earned, it’s an escrow account no matter what you call it. Yes, the team does control what that account is invested in, but it has to be in something that has a controlled and guaranteed return. It is very much an escrow account.
I have $3.7 million held in just such accounts today. I get to say where its invested as long as it’s a controlled, read guaranteed, return and profits must be rolled back into the account. This is a very common practice in the construction of large projects. The lien holder gets paid at the end of the project that could take 2-3 years or even longer, but they want a guarantee that they will get their money so we have to place enough in an “escrow” account with a controlled return to guarantee that the lien is paid and it gives us more cashflow space to run our business since we don’t get our final payments until the project is complete. This is not on the scale of what the Dodgers and other MLB teams have done with player payroll, but its the same process.
I would suggest that you stop arguing over semantics and go re-read the CBA. Then consult with a financial advisor who commonly deals with this type of financial arrangement.
Semantics matter. By definition, escrow means controlled by a third party. Please look this up before making any further claims of my being in error. Nothing in the language of the CBA suggests anything about treatment of principal nor anything about returns being guaranteed. So thank you very much for your concern but I will continue to argue about terminology that matters to what is being discussed, and I will do it correctly, despite objections.
You like to argue even when you are wrong. Fine. Go ahead and argue with yourself. You don’t know WTHeck you are talking about and obviously have not read the CBA, but whatever. Knock yourself out.
Escrow is a legal and financial arrangement where a neutral third party holds money or assets on behalf of two other parties involved in a transaction, until specific conditions in a contract are met and that is the case here. The MLB team cannot withdraw the principal once it it placed in the account. They can say what it is used for as long as the return is controlled (guaranteed) PRIOR to depositing the money, but afterwards they have no control as a 3rd party is holding that account. That is the definition of an escrow account.
That is what the Dodgers have done with Ohtani’s deferral and every other MLB team.
You really cant have one without the other, if there is just a floor, the big guys still get everyone they want, just at a higher price, which means the Pirates, A’s, and Marlins of the world have to shell out alot of money on inferior talent just to meet the floor(see A’s Severino deal to avoid union dispute this past off-season).
If you just institute a cap, obviously the small markets dont spend much more, and the Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees of the world still get most of the guys they want.
Biggest issue is splitting up media revenue imo, but I dont think any of this gets done with the next CBA regardless.
No.
Time to just make it simple math 10 yrs 700 mil 70M AAV not “value” with taking money off for deferred money. How they want to pay it out is between the player and the team.
Maybe simple people need simple math, but anyone with grade school level financial literacy knows that what you’re suggesting is completely nonsensical.
It’s really a pretty simple argument. I don’t agree with it necessarily because I believe MLB has a handle on it, but really, you making a big fuss and commenting on every single thread within this comment section/not agreeing with it has 95+% to do with being a Dodgers fan.
No, it has 100% to do with not being financially feebleminded.
Yeah, of course, you’re always right and there’s no other alternative possibilities that can be logical! Give me a break. You’re one of the biggest homers on this website.
No, I am right because I am right, and I’m right because I took the trouble to understand the issues. No matter what you say, 2+2 will still equal four. No alternative theories are valid.
What an ignorant and conceited thing to even suggest when the issue actually *has* been discussed in previous CBA talks. MLB floated limiting deferrals and even suggested taxing them differently… so yeah, there is absolutely no other way to go about it! Goofy homer.
It will never be ignorant or conceited to be right on the facts. I have them on my side. You don’t. Sorry, but this is not my fault.
Nah, I’ll trust MLB over BlueSkies_LAHomerTrollBoy.
explain how it is nonsensical?
majority of the teams in the league do it that way. You cant say it cant be done with big contracts because aaron judge gets 10 years 400 million and its averaged at 40M a year, bryce harper with the biggest contract at the time he signed it doesnt have deferrals juan soto who has the biggest contract doesnt have deferrals but is not paid out evenly every year but is an AAV.
Also to get what deferred dollars are worth today is just a guess. Lets say bryce harper did a deferral structure similar to ohtani. Using eggs as an example of value, a dozen was about 1.50 in 2019 beginning of this year it was over 6 bucks and even now its still about 3.50 which is still over 100 percent increase. Does that mean they will reforecast that “value” of the contract because i very much doubt they would have accounted for that amount of inflation that quick as we hadnt gotten locked down with you know what at that point. This would actually lower his tax hit as the “value” would have dropped by quite a bit and not the usual expected COLA of 2ish percent.
So let them defer the pay schedule how ever they want but AAV for tax purposes should be the straight easy calc total guaranteed salary / years. to get actual AAV. so 700M / 10 years = 70M AAV not 40M
It’s not nonsensical, he’s just a homer. There are valid takes for both sides of the argument. To suggest otherwise is goofy, and he should not be taken seriously.
Because in no known universe is what he suggested true.
That is how, exactly.
That would be strange. The $70m he will get in 2035 is simply not worth $70m today. Nor are the Dodgers paying out that much. Deferred salaries should just be banned.
Why? Both the players and the teams like having the option.
At this point we should be seeing articles about the top free-agents that the Dodgers aren’t interested in.
That would make a long list.
All these articles about who the Dodgers are interested in at this point are nothing more than clickbait. A team cannot express any interest in a player before free agency starts or they’d face significant penalties from MLB. Many if not most of the articles are written by AI anyway. Even after free agency starts, the players agents whisper to reporters that the rich teams like the Dodgers, Mets and Yankees are interested even if they aren’t to push up the bidding. Don’t fall for this annual bullcrap.
Any rumor of the dodgers being interested in a free agent will raise the floor of the bidding on that player, regardless of if the dodgers are actually interested in the player.
This has happened for years with the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, etc. It’s called agents building a market for their player clients. And for smarter teams, it effectively makes your competitors spend more on a player than they would have otherwise.
Tucker’s OBP was.much higher than. 295 in the first half. Must be a typo. And for everyone yelling for a cap, your teams can afford to spend much more. A floor would be much better IMO. If you’re a billionaire owner as almost all those guys are, this shouldn’t be a business it should be a toy that you’d be happy breaking even on or as a loss leader.
they have a soft floor (if it is too low, union can complain, why the As spent on mid range FA last year to be above that line).
I hate a yearly cap, and think there should be a floating 3-6 year cap. If you are playing a bunch of rookies, ou should not need to fill out your roster with overpaid vets, but those young guys will get paid- so just make teh floor a floating average of your payroll for the past 6 years (based upon years of control, if that changes i would change that timeframe)
15 teams now have investors that are private equity firms. That means its 100% about how much money the team makes.
Surprising. The last team I thought would go after a big name and salary.
They can have him, something seems off with him, I suspect he’ll never be as good as he once was. He has bad contract written all over him.
@Luke Strong
I honestly believe that to be true.
His bat speed is below average, and declining bat speed rarely ages well. On top of that, he’s a poor defender. I think he’ll be above average/good for 2 more years, then average/mediocre for 3 or so, then however many remain on his contract will go poorly.
Prepare to be ripped, myaccount. You are absolutely correct, but I know from experience that anyone who tells the truth about Tucker is excoriated by the mob. I’m not sure why it is so important for people to overrate him–there might be multiple reasons–but it is.
Yes, absolutely. And I’m definitely not trying to discredit his accomplishments throughout his career–at his peak, he was an exceptionally good player–but as we all know, past success is not indicative of future performance!
lol what
What do you not understand about any of the comments made here?
If Friedman wants Tucker he will do whatever it takes to sign him this offseason
LA Deferrals have much to offer that other teams don’t have – Ohtani, Betts, Freeman, Snell, Yamamoto, Glasnow, postseason play every year & mega $$$ to offer Tucker
Just the dodgers driving up the market.
I think it’s possibly more likely Dodgers go for Trent Grisham.
They have a very good young center fielder already. That seems unlikely.
Pages already moves to the corners in late innings frequently. As competent as he is in CF, his arm is a natural for RF.
I’m just hoping they have enough resources to get Paul Skenes and Gunnar Henderson too.
I think Jon Heyman mis-misidentified him for Mile Trucker.
I’m really interested to see what Cody Bellinger signs for tbh. He’ll probably wait for Tucker to sign knowing he’s a Boras client.
More than Brandon Nimmo so ~$175M to $190M is my guess.
I think rumors are going to be that he is asking for 7/210 and his contract will end up at 5/140 to 6/165. Basically the AAV he had on his current deal, just over more years.
Dodgers should have an expansion team. Fold a team like the Pirates. Let the Dodgers have 2 teams so they can sign everyone and give everyone ample playing time.
@TJECK109
Los Angeles Dodgers of Pittsburgh.
who gets to a half billion dollar payroll first ? dodgers or mets ? ?
With CBT fines the Dodgers are already well over that for 2025.
Dodgers are already well over once you count tax. $550m this year or thereabouts. And they are probably still top five in profits. That’s how much more revenue they have than most teams.
Wish the Mets would go after Tucker. Move Soto to left field, Nimmo to center field, and Tucker in right with Tyrone Taylor as 4th outfielder. Not ideal defense but…maybe DH Soto half the time.
It would be so LOLmets for them to sign Tucker when their last high-dollar free agent signing couldn’t get them to October.
@Chucky: You sound like a bitter Yankees fan. Soto was the best player on the Mets. It wasn’t his fault they missed the postseason. Lil bro syndrome as a Yankees fan.
Yankees don’t need Tucker cos they have bigger needs elsewhere, like SS and the starting rotation.
And your “lil bro syndrome” gets blown up with every instance of LOLmets.
It is so Chucky the Troll to think that one player gets a team to October.
Soto had a 1.016 OPS/181 wRC+ with 18 HR in August and September. His level of play down the stretch was nothing short of incredible. Only Ohtani was better.
The Mets collapse had nothing to do with his play and everything to do with the 5+ ERA of their starting pitching rotation.
And who is the public face of the Mets? It sure as hell ain’t Pete Alonso or even Sean Manea.
So if they are the public face, whatever that means, they have to single handedly do enough to overcome a pitching staff with a 5+ ERA? Are you that stupid or just that bad of a troll?
The Mets missing the postseason in year one of the Soto contract is the most Mets thing ever.
Of course they are
No Yankees? Now keep in mind this is Jon “Arson” Heyman, but saying that the Dodgers will go after Tucker is like saying water is wet. And as to the comment about how trading for Tucker was out of character for the Cubs, it’s worth noting that at the time Hoyer was trying to save his job and was apparently under an edict to make the playoffs. Once he got his extension, all that aggressiveness was suddenly gone. The Cubs might – and I really have to stress the word “might” – offer him 10, 300M. But that won’t get it done. However, then they will be able to tell us fans that they tried. Another team that should be spending a.lot.more based on their revenue. That said, there’s no way in hell that Tucker will be wearing a Cubs jersey in 2026.
Is water wet?
This is main reason why Baseball will strike in 2027 and may NEVER be the same when or if it comes back!
And don’t forget the sky is falling.
Ah, shut it and focus on your weekend homework, junior.
Good Response! Bravo!
@junior25
Because owners are too cheap to spend money on their team?
York you know full well that while some owners are cheap they can’t just throw money on too the burn pile and stay rich. Some teams are gonna make more money whether they win 80 games or 105, and some teams won’t make more even if they waste 100 million in free agency.
Thats the other part of the Problem. And neither side will meet in the middle
Junior, any labor action would be a lockout by management.
Agree! Cause the players are to greedy but they are like that in all Sports
And are the owners greedy? Just asking for a friend….
Not saying their not, just saying that there will be NO way that either will budge.
They will both budge. It happens every negotiations. Both have too much at stake to lose a season.
I think a lot of this is optics for the union leaders. They got absolutely hammered in the deal before this last one.
And I think the owners will continue to go with “every single team will go bankrupt without a cap”, and then settle low-hanging fruit.
Is amazing how these teams are going broke when their sale prices and valuations are up by billions.
Okay so this ain’t necessarily a hot take per se. My O’s need a damn good hitter, preferably one that can man center field. There are some potential free agent options available at that spot, i.e. Bellinger and Bader. Personally I could accept a healthy Colton Cowser manning center if that meant I had Kyle Tucker in right. Beavers (who I think needs the most playing time), Jeremiah Jackson and O’Neill to fill out left field. Its not an ideal situation at all to be honest.
The DH spot is probably going to be filled by a combo of Adley/Basallo/Mayo/O’neill during off days for each player in the field. O’ Neill still being here and showing himself (predictably) unreliable to stay on the field hurts the team and essentially prevents them from making a move for a reliable good hitter that they need.
Though I will say even in the best case scenario, O’s realistically landing Tucker ain’t happening. He’s the type of bat I want and that the team needs, but it won’t happen unfortunately.
We’ll just sweep the NLCS and let it be known we are after Tucker. Ha ha. Carnts. Too good.
Jon Heyman reported it, and of course a big team like the Dodgers are automatically assumed to absorb a contract like Tucker’s. Now, will they sign him or not? Who knows.
Dodgers have other things on their mind right now.
Cruising.
Yep. Which is why this looks like slow sports news day fodder.
Just what the Red Sox need; another LH Outfielder
Why wouldn’t they..? Every top FA should be a Dodger. It’s beginning (not really) to become a mockery of even the veneer of fairness.
They’re “expected to pursue” not “to sign” him.
Kinda like they pursued Soto. in the end, it was much ado about nothing.
I truly believe they “pursued” Soto for a couple reasons. One was the off chance they could get him for cheap, relatively speaking.
The second was mainly to drive up his price. Having your big pocket competitors spend more yearly for one player because they need to outbid you was a great play. Soto is a great bat talent no doubt.
But the Mets paid him $765 million straight up. And for the rest of that contract will have to work around that number when building their roster.
From the beginning Soto was not entertaining offers with deferrals and the Dodgers were in on him to the end. Obviously not to $765 million, but they must have been close, and that means their offers did not have deferrals. .
Hi there. I’m here to state the obvious. The Dodgers knew the New York teams were trying to outbid each other for Soto.
They also knew that everyone viewed the Dodgers as the big bad who would spend the money. I felt from the beginning they were in the bidding to increase his price for those teams. And they did.
Job well done, considering he has no deferrals and he’s tying up a considerable yearly amount of the Mets payroll. Sure Cohen can afford it. But in order to build out the rest of the roster with strong players they’ll have to spend more each year to field a similar team as the Dodgers.
What is more than obvious is that you have no idea what was going on. no team is in on the bidding to the end just to drive up the cost. What if the player took their offer? Yeah, even saying something like that demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of how it all works.
Both NY teams were in on the bidding. And from reporting, were both making larger offers than LA.
So if for some reason a Scott Boras client was willing to take a lower offer and go to the Dodgers, awesome. If they made an offer they ultimately didn’t feel comfortable with, they can always retract the offer.
Honestly is anyone shocked? lol. Deferrals until 2060
Any team can do deferrals.
True, didn’t say they couldn’t
Why not? If they want him and he’s willing, sounds great.
Just like it would be great for any of the other teams in the league.
Salary cap and no deferred money! Save mlb
Every team does deferrals. Save MLB from Manfred.
Perfect landing spot for him. With the Dodgers he could be just a supporting player, which is all he really is. He’s a good player, but not the transformative presence in the lineup that Cubs fans were promised. And no, it wasn’t just the injuries: that flatfooted stance and loopy long swing are features of his game, not bugs, and they will follow him wherever he goes. Good luck to him. We Cubs fans have moved in.
F the Dodgers
Free the Dodgers from what?
soullessness
Bro, even our organ player has soul.
It’s a real shame that Rob Manfred doesn’t have the balls to veto another Dodger contract worth more than 400 million dollars. They’re soaking a thick jar of marmalade in his wife’s purse.
What other Dodger contract is worth $400 million? Tucker? He hasn’t signed with anyone yet.
Ohtanis is for 700 mil. I have to assume he’s getting more than better at 350mil and more than Yoshi at 325 mil. They have 3 current contracts worth minimum 325mil Tucker would be the 4th at that amount and likely more. They also over paid will Smith over the 100 mil mark. They have Freddie over 150 mil they gave Pita Edman nearly 100 mil. It’s ridiculous the league lets them do this sheet
( i was literally spelling out the 4 letter not so pg word out hahahaha)
Why aren’t you complaining about the Padres contracts?
They have massive contracts as well. But I never hear how they are ruining baseball. Is it because they haven’t won a world series? Would you complain retroactively if they did?
Salary cap and floor, please!
For your job?
for “sports’ which are supposed to be sporting. look at every other league if you don’t understand (i get you are pretending)
The ones with the salary cap? Where the players percentage of revenue has gone down every time they sign a new CBA?
The one where all the stars push to play together? Hold out to get their way? Or is it the one where they have a few teams dominating championships?
In every other major sport in the US the players percentage of total revenue is locked in at 48-51%, Every player and the unions know all of the revenue streams for the league and the individual teams. Revenue coming in for games is shared 100% between all teams.
And they got them to buy in at a higher percentage of revenue to entice the players to sign the CBA.
And in each case, the league slowly took back some of that percentage. Why would baseball players do that to themselves?
The sport is thriving, attendance is up for decent teams, team valuations are at an all time high and rising. Those things aren’t dependant on a salary cap.
You know what is dependant on a salary cap? Investment bankers love to know what the annual outlay will be consistently. And a salary cap does that for them.
You want competitive balance? Adjust the current competitive balance tax.
Tax those spending a lot and revenue share as they currently do.
Make it mandatory the money teams get from revenue sharing is used on payroll.
Have a floor of sorts for those at the bottom. If your at the bottom for a certain amount of years you start losing picks and revenue sharing dollars.
These changes would incentives bottom teams to invest in their product, unlike the current situation.
Another Dodgers Fan
Why would baseball players do that to themselves?
=====================
More importantly, what is the players percentage of the gross?
Let me make it simple so even you can understand.
Today in every other major sport in the US the players get 48-51% of the revenue of the sport. That has not gone down in any other sport in a very long time. In the NHL it went up the last time a CBA was negotiated.
In every other majors sport in the US there is 100% revenue sharing of all local and TV revenue. If a team makes more money, its because they lease their stadium out for other events. See the Raiders and Cowboys for great examples of that. Otherwise the teams start on an equal footing financially.
I can’t find a single assertion you made that is based in reality.
So you reject my reality and substitute you own. I see.
There is reality, like the facts I shared, and then there is whatever universe you live in.
I am sorry if the drugs or alcohol you used so heavily have addled your brain, but arguing against facts that are easy to look up is not a demonstration that you live in the same universe the rest of us do.
Hahaha. Heads exploding on a Saturday night over nothing.
I love my Dodgers.
Because it makes you angry.
Who is bragging about somweone else’s accomplishments?
This is stupid, fill up space when there is no game being played on Saturday night crud.
The Dodgers are going to the World Series and if someone is truly stating to Heyman that they ate going to pursue Tucker they should be fired immediately. They have bigger fish to fry this week.
Of course the Dodgers are going to pursue. So are the Cubs, Phillies, Giants, Jays, Yankees, yada yada yada.
Just filling space until there is baseball or news actually happening.
It’s took the dodgers 8 postseason games to get to the World Series it’s taking Seattle and Toronto at least 10 and those two teams had a bye. Meaning of course the dodgers played more games. I’m no fan of theirs but damn!!
Uhhh, the Dodgers had to play the wild card round so it took them 10 games to get to the Series.
Yep you are correct! My math ain’t math’n.
It would actually make a little more sense for them to sign Ha Seong Kim and move Mookie back out to RF but hey whatever.
At a point a player has to just say no thanks to LA and sign somewhere else. Philly makes a lot of sense as even with Schwarber there they could still look to supplant Castellanos in the OF. Or just move on from Schwarber completely.
A dark horse I think for Tucker will be Atlanta. They are about 100 mil below where they were in 2024 before resetting this past season. Profar is terrible in the field, and they truly need another premier bat to pair with Acuña. A lot of folks will point to pitching but Atlanta really has had a scuffling offense the last two seasons. Tucker makes a lot of sense there.
He will be a huge overpay. Bunch of bankers running the Dodgers.
Might as well let nascar drivers use whatever car designs they want as well maybe bring back hemis and super birds
I love reading the comments from fans about how their team couldn’t afford to spend on players. The Tampa Rays have been close to winning it all many times but plead poverty and avoided spending what it would have taken to get them over the top. But loo, poor Stuart Sternberg paid $200 million for the team and just sold it for $1.7 billion. Think he might have been able to dole out a little more money along the way to win championships? If you believe the owner of your team can’t spend more money you are a sucker.
they would have to spend dozens of more monies
Some of you need to save your rage energy for Jon Heyman’s Dylan Cease-Dodgers article tomorrow.
Why Cease when they can trade for Skubal? With Kershaw retiring they need a 5th starter…
Sheehan, Sasaki, Stone, Ryan. They have plenty of starters to go with the big four.
Dodgers are going to trade for Nootbar or Donovan from Cards
Nooooooooo how shocking. He’s becoming injury prone so if he becomes a dodger I would hope that continues. However when you say they are expected to pursue Tucker that makes it sound as if they haven’t had contact with him already. Same as they never had contact with Ohtani until he became a free agent right, no one is that naive
Such a mature and kind human take to wish an injury on anyone.
Money helps to make a great team
Sounds good. I hope they win 6 straight World Series. Maybe something will change after that
No surprise there! We all could have guessed that. No need to tell us that both NY teams will also be bidding for Tucker. lol!
When the new ownership came in, they heavily invested into the farm system and player development.
Knowing it would take a few years to see results from the farm system, they made big trades to get the team competitive for that window.
Then they started churning out rookie of the year candidates and many other minor league assets.
During this time they took a chance and acquired Mookie Betts. Realizing they had gold in Mookie, they decided to go for it while his window was open, and have worked on that premise for a few years.
When your have a chance to win you go for it. The league has many good players on various teams that were developed during this time in the Dodgers farm system. If we took those players and placed them on the Dodgers, it would still be an extremely competitive team.
So complain all you want, but with a solid investment into their farm system, and willingness to spend some of their revenue, your team could be highly competitive as well.
Many teams with good ownership have done this over the years. The Rays are a good example. If Wandering Frankfurter hadn’t gotten himself into legal trouble, they might have done some great things the last few years. Now they are gunshy to give another big contract.
The Dodgers took the Rays model and added financial backing to the process. Building from the farm system first and then buying pieces the last few years.
So yes while they have spent a crap ton in recent years, they also did the groundwork and laid a solid foundation for their club. How many minor league arms did they rely on during last years title run? Those weren’t free agents they bought.
But you still need smart management.
ok…..
If baseball is such a low profit investment for cheap owners, why are investment firms buying into baseball teams?
Your team owner can pay more than what they’re paying in most cases.
to what end?
To compete. The end.
Dodgers just getting whatever they want whenever they want. The NLWC was uninspiring. NLDS was a snooze fest. The NLCS was a joke. Let’s take a wager on how the WS will be. MLB, you’re in the business of entertainment and your “most important team” has free rein to do whatever they want… and it kills your product nationally. Whereas real competitors: Seattle vs Detroit and Seattle vs Toronto is REAL playoff baseball. You wanted LA Dodgers vs Yankees last year and it was a BORING World Series. Then you sit back and watch them go get an ungodly amount of players. It’s a joke!
What a boring performance by Ohtani in game 4 of the NLCS.
Yeah, it’s kind of sad that this otherworldly performance is being ignored in favor of mind-numbing whining about deferrals. I guess some people just don’t like baseball. What they are doing here is anybody’s guess.
BBBD
“The NLWC was uninspiring. NLDS was a snooze fest. The NLCS was a joke. ”
Did you watch any of those series? Mostly close games that could have gone either way.
But of course, they must do this because they can’t keep anyone healthy.
So Dodger fans will be glad to have another cheater on their team. One that “cheated” them of a WS? Lol Mookie cheated with Red Sox in 2018. The integrity with Dodgers lol
“in their budget’? please. budget?
do you hear yourself?
Me? Smart management beats dumb management.
That sounds reasonable right?
would be so funny to hear an NFL team, NBA team, or NHL team try to mansplain why their league was fair even though only their market could support triple payrolls.
Let’s just say the do salary cap MLB.
Are you going to complain about the dodgers having a better farm system? More investment into player development?
More chances at Asian market players?
When will the complaining end?
Were you one of the many who made fun of the dodgers for spending so much and not winning championships? Apparently they weren’t ruining baseball then, right?
This is spot on. For years under the Fox and McCourt ownerships the Dodgers disinvested in scouting and development (one of the team’s crown jewels up to that point) and over time on-field performance took a hit. The new ownership reversed that trend in a big way, and this is why they always have a lot of talent coming up through the minors despite receiving no high draft picks for years on end. So are scouting and development expenditures going to be subject to another cap?
Rumor has it that dodgers have given a contract to Jesus Christ !!!
Rumor has it he has this thing about playing on Sunday …
LA only had one glaring hole in their line up all year, and that was in LF. Conforto was a big disappointment. Now they are looking at Tucker!
If that happens, they will surely challenge the Mariners’ total of 116 wins as the most ever in a season.
The next “No Kings” rally will be about the Dodgers.
According to many, they were supposed to win 120 games this season. How did that turn out?
They might be looking at Tucker and they might look elsewhere, including internally. Tucker is a free agent who is free to sign anywhere he wants. Teams can decide what they choose to spend money on.
Vlad stayed with the Jays.
Soto signed with the Mets.
Judge stayed with the Yankees.
Harper went to the Phillies.
Seager went to Texas.
Machado went to San Diego.
Rendon went to the Angels.
Burnes went to the Diamondbacks.
There are plenty more. The Dodgers wanted some of those players and didn’t get them. And not all of them went to the teams you guys complain about constantly.
Sorry Angels fans, I had to add him to show balance.
@Backup Catcher to the Backup Catcher
In what universe do you live in, where the inclusion of a Kyle Tucker means the difference between 93 wins, and 116?
When I predicted 94 wins for this team this season at Dodgers Nation, I was laughed at. Turns out I was indeed incorrect….off by one game.
That’s why games aren’t played on paper….to sit and pontificate how many games they’ll win solely based on all the so-called “superstars” they have, is tantamount to what us car guys call “bench racing”.
LF
Hoo boy
“In what universe do you live in, where the inclusion of a Kyle Tucker means the difference between 93 wins, and 116?”
None. Of course
But Tucker replacing Conforto.
A fuller season of Ohtani pitching
Fuller seasons of both Snell and Glasnow
Better performance from Tanner Scott and Blake Treinen
Better performance from whoever relplaces Yates
Getting anything out of Sasaki
Those things could lead to 116+ wins
Some (positive (though, it’s not really “positive”, but just for clarity’s sake)) regression is to get expected.
The Dodgers will almost certainly top 94 wins next season.
I’ll take the under on 116, even if they sign Tucker. But, baring something massive from another team, the Dodgers are almost certainly the favorites for next year – maybe before they do anything this off season.
A whole lot went wrong for them and they still won the division.
“When I predicted 94 wins for this team this season at Dodgers Nation, I was laughed at. Turns out I was indeed incorrect….off by one game”
I’d like to see that prediction. I don’t doubt that you made it. I think it’s likely that you were “right” for the wrong reasons.
If you thought Conforto would be an absolute flop and the bullpen would melt down, I apologize.
I think it’s funny everyone is focused on games won in the regular season.
If your team could win 85 games and win the world series, or win 120 and get knocked out of the postseason, which would you choose?
ADF
I’d rather the F/O put together a team capable of winning 120 games than one capable of winning 85 games
-more fun to watch
-more likely to succeed in the playoffs (yes, I very much understand the Dodgers were more focused on playoff wins than regular season wins)
So you’d rather a great record and no WS win?
Priorities I guess.
ADF
How did you read that into my reply?
Hey Juan jazzy,
I had asked this:
“If your team could win 85 games and win the world series, or win 120 and get knocked out of the postseason, which would you choose?”
And you said 120 games. I get if the team wins 120 they have a great chance to win the WS. And you would think the 85 win team wouldn’t have a good chance.
But that wasn’t the question, so I assumed by your answer you chose the first.
If you watched all the dodgers games this season, it was quite evident they were using the regular season to get things lined up for the postseason. In the last could months we have away quite a few games trying to get Scott, Yates, and the rest of the bullpen going. Just with the losses from throwing Scott and Yates out there the last month it so, they would have won close to 10 more games.
I think if they really felt the record was more important than the world series, they would have won 120. And they would have done more at the trade deadline to do so.
Your question was backyard looking, my reply was forward looking.
If I could know beforehand, that the team was going to either win 120 and lose in the playoffs or win 85 and win the WS, I
1) wouldn’t watch – most of the interest comes from not knowing what’s going to happen
2) would rather win in the playoffs – though I wish the regular season had added importance. A regular season championship should mean something as well
I agree it should mean something. The Brewers impressed me quite a bit this season.
That they lost to the Dodgers didn’t change my impression of them. That is an excellent baseball team, and one I’ll be rooting for next season to do well again .
The dodgers happen to be rolling at the moment, unlike when the Brewers swept them during the season.
I was honestly hoping they would face the Cubs because the Brewers play old-school baseball. If dodgers pitching wasn’t going crazy at the moment it could have been very messy.
Sorry if this repeats something already said above, but this was always the plan. Conforto signing as a one year stopgap was the clue.
They did the same thing with Teo Hernandez last year. They weren’t going after Tucker then were they?
Plus, he might have played his way out of their possible plans this season. Hard to know.
Hard to believe the Pirates and the Dodgers play the same sport. Of course the players don’t want a salary cap but it comes at the detriment of the entire league.
He’s no Soto, but I’d be happy to have him aboard.
That is just dumb reporting from Jon Heyman. Dodgers have 4 OF’s in the top 50 prospects in the game. WHY DOES HEYMAN’s DRIVEL MAKE SENSE?? Any contract more than 3 years for Kyle Tucker is just irresponsible, unless a team has a DH position open. Dodgers do not and will not for the next decade.
tbib
“Dodgers have 4 OF’s in the top 50 prospects in the game”
If 1 or 2 of those players become regular starters at the MLB level, that’ll be a win. Very unlikely that all of them will. Very very unlikely any of them will be as good as Tucker
Teoscar will be a free agent in 2 years.
Prospects can be traded. So can Pages.
Hoping to see Tucker in Dodger blue next year
Let’s just play the baseball season and hand the World Series to the Dodgers.
Why?
That’s boring
I’ll save you a few future clicks.
Dodgers will be interested in:
Kyle Schwarber
Kyle Tucker
Tarik Skubal
Paul Skenes
Alex Bregman
And on the 2nd day of free agency…
Dodgers make sense but I got Tucker signing with the Yankees. He’s a perfect fit and would be a matchup nightmare hitting next to Judge.
My 2nd guess was Red Sox with them also making a push for Skubal. They got arguably the best collection of major league ready bats to trade with. Some package with Duran/Mayer as the main pieces would get it done IMHO and then you’ve got the best 1-2 punch since probably Schilling and Pedro.
Apparently, everyone believes that Elias and Os ownership are outright liars about their willingness to spend. Last year’s opening payroll was $170m and right now their projection for 2026, with estimated arbs for everyone is $81m. And the Fangraphs $81m includes at least $20m for Mountcastle, Mateo, Enns and assorted likely non tenders, so their real starting number is between $110m and $130m below their 2025 payroll.
They’d lose fan credibility if they didn’t spend all of that. They probably do plan to spend $30m on a BP, but that’s a lot on FA relievers. Their other position need is OF, because Cowser, Beavers, ONeill and Jeremiah Jackson, with Bradfield possible mid year, is too thin.
They will bid on Tucker aggressively, because aside from 2 $35mAV starters (and it’s hard to find two worth that AV), where are they going to spend the remaining money? I think they’ll aggressively bid on Tucker, Bellinger, Fraser, Rangers Suarez, Zac Gallen, Bieber, etc. and sign two or three from that list.
Of course they are.
Deeds, you’re a crappy writer. “Impressive as the Dodgers have been” is NOT PROPER ENGLISH! You can’t just leave “as” out at the beginning of the sentence because you feel like it. You’re a professional writer: grammar is not optional.