Dodgers plan to bid on MLB's next luxury free agent: report

The contracts recently signed by Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto have reset the market for sluggers. The free agent class of 2025-26 can only be licking its chops when considering the potential money at stake.

The top name on that list: Kyle Tucker, who was traded from the Houston Astros to the Chicago Cubs over the winter, and seems all but certain to become a free agent for the first time at the conclusion of the 2025 World Series.

When the Cubs failed to sign Tucker to a long-term extension after acquiring him last Dec. 13, the obvious question emerged. Who will pony up to sign the superstar?

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, it's not too early to count one team in.

"The Los Angeles Dodgers plan to jump into the free-agent fray for Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker this winter," Nightengale wrote in his Sunday column. "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."

Soto ultimately signed for 15 years and $765 million last December, a pact that's likely to pay the 26-year-old more than $800 million by the time it expires.

Assessing Tucker's worth will be left to MLB evaluators over the coming months. Already off to a hot start in the Windy City, Tucker is slashing .276/.387/.545 — a 162 OPS+ — with 10 home runs and 32 RBIs in 40 games with the Cubs.

Tucker, 28, is a career .275/.356/.518 hitter. Compare those numbers to Soto's (.285/.421/.532), throw in his plus base-stealing skills (104 in 117 career attempts), and a Gold Glove Award in right field, and the idea of Tucker signing for half a billion dollars or more doesn't sound so far-fetched.

Guerrero, 26, signed a 14-year, $500 million extension with the Blue Jays in April. Tucker is two years older but arguably a more well-rounded player than either Guerrero or Soto.

The Dodgers have demonstrated their willingness to engage with free agents in any price bracket. They were talking to Soto last winter but not among the two finalists.

Instead, they hauled in a massive free agent class that included Blake Snell, Teoscar Hernández, Roki Sasaki, Hyeseong Kim, Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates, and Michael Conforto. The Dodgers also re-signed utility player Tommy Edman after winning the 2024 World Series.

Whether or not the Dodgers have a greater need on paper for Tucker than his other potential suitors is immaterial. (They don't.) It's become more of a surprise if president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Brandon Gomes don't engage with the best free agents on the market each winter. Sunday's report merely confirmed the expected.

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