Well, the big news from yesterday was that Kyle Tucker got paid handsomely. I figured he would eventually, but I didn’t think it would be with the Dodgers on a shorter contract with that high of an AAV. Even with deferrals, his AAV is still $57.1 million per season over the term of the deal.
Wow.
Also, a $64 million signing bonus, which is wild by itself. If his residence remains in Florida, then there is no state income tax on that money. Kudos to any financial planners involved in the contract negotiations. And, with opt-outs after the second and third years of the contract, Tucker is also primed to re-enter free agency in his early thirties to capitalize on his market again. His skill set should age relatively well, so signing one more lucrative contract isn’t an outlandish idea.
At least the Astros were able to obtain some value from the Cubs for Tucker before his free agency. To be honest, that extension window with Tucker had likely already passed by the time Dana Brown was hired in early 2023 or shortly after. He was going to test free agency. We can certainly quibble about the trade package or whether Houston would’ve been better off keeping Tucker for 2025, especially with the benefit of hindsight, given that this team missed the postseason by one game. But Cam Smith, Isaac Paredes, and Hayden Wesneski still have multiple years of club control remaining, so at least the team didn’t come away empty-handed other than a draft pick. It was a sensible decision at the time and remains as much today.
Other News
- The Angels, Rays, and Reds swung a three-team trade around the same time that the Tucker news broke. Former Dodger Gavin Lux is heading from Cincinnati to Tampa along with right-hander Chris Clark. Josh Lowe goes from the Rays to the Angels. Left-hander Brock Burke goes to the Reds.
- The Astros made some noise on the international market, signing nine players in total, including a pair of top shortstop prospects.
- Eric Huysman of Locked On Astros had me on the show to discuss the Astros’ offseason, the pitching staff, Kyle Tucker’s market (I was wrong, lol), the infield logjam, and The Launch Angle. It was a fun time!
We’ll see how the Dodger fans feel if and when Tucker lollygags playing balls in the outfield
or running out a ground ball to 1st base.