2025 was a great season overall. But one Dodger had his worst year ever offensively in the majors. Mookie Betts had his lowest offensive numbers across the board. It started when he became ill on the Dodgers trip to Japan. He was sent home. His illness was never really explained, but he lost almost 30 pounds and obviously was not at full strength when the season started. Through May, Mookie was hitting a little over .250.
Then things got ugly. He hit just .240 in June, and .205 in July. Mookie through most of his career has been a better player in the later months of the season. For a player who prides himself on performing at a high level, this type of play had to be mentally challenging. The Dodgers overall record in July and August reflected the offensive problems the team was having. July was abysmal as the team went 10-14. They got a little better in August going 15-10. Mookie finally seemed to get on track in August with a .288 mark. He walked more than he struck out that month. 
September-October was his best stretch of baseball all year. In 24 games, he hit .299, with 6 homers and 23 RBIs. It was also the only time his OPS was above .800 as he posted a .899 mark. The one thing that did not suffer was his defense. He posted a mark of 17 defensive runs saved, leading all MLB shortstops. The Dodgers managed to hold on to first place and win by 3 games over the Padres, who at one point in July, were 9 games back. By the end of July, that number had been cut to 3.
In the post season, Betts was not very good. He went 6-9 against the Reds with 3 doubles and 3 RBIs. But he hit just .235 against the Phillies with just 4 hits in 17 at bats. He drove in 1 run and had 1 extra base hit, a triple. The Brewers shut him down with just 2 hits in 15 at bats. He drove in 2 and had a double for his only extra base hit. In the World Series, the Jays kept him to a 4-29 line. No extra base hits and 2 driven in. Overall, he had 16 hits, 5 that went for extra bases, no homers and just 8 driven in.
In the 24 series run, Mookie hit 4 homers, had 5 doubles and drove in 16. Surely, he had to be very disappointed at his post season performance in 25. In one interview I saw, he said he wished he had an answer for how bad he had been playing. Mookie has not been the same player in LA that he was in Boston. He has had some good numbers and reached career highs in LA, but his BA, OPS, slug, OBP, are all lower in his 6 years in LA than they were in his 6 years in Boston. I am surprised he put up a 4.9 WAR last season with his numbers as down as they were. 
After next season though, Mookie will probably move into the Dodgers top 24 in career WAR as a Dodger. He should easily go past Bob Welch, 32.9 to Mookie’s 32.7 at this point. He could also move past Brickyard Kennedy, Jeff Pfieffer, Justin Turner, Dixie Walker, Carl Furillo, and get close to Roy Campanella, if he posts a 4.5 or higher in 26. Steve Garvey’s career WAR in LA was 36.7, Fernando’s, 36.8. If Mookie has a more Mookie like year, he could pass them all.
His 162-game average WAR is 8. Baseball Reference’s projections have Mookie hitting .278 with 22 homers, 78 driven in. I have to believe Mookie is setting his goals much higher. Of course, a lot of his production is going to depend on health in his age 33 season. The one huge question, brought up to me today by Jeff, can Mookie excel at the plate and on defense while playing a very demanding position, shortstop?
Mookie was a six-time Gold Glove winner playing right field. His offensive numbers stayed pretty consistent while he was out there. But let’s take a quick peek back at 24. Mookie went down with a broken hand on June 16 when he was hit by a pitch in a game with the Royals. He was at that time, usually the starting SS. But he was also playing some second base. When he was injured after 72 games, he was hitting .304. But after the first 32 games of the year, he had been hitting .368. 
In May and June, his BA tanked. He hit .278 in May and just .208 in 14 games in June. Was the strain of playing SS the big reason? Mookie had gotten off to one of his better starts in his career. Most of his career he had been a much better hitter after May. For the last 44 games of 24, Mookie was mainly in right field. Here comes the rub, Mookie actually had better numbers offensively as a SS in 24 than he did in the outfield. He played 64 games as a SS. He hit .308. His OPS, OBP, were higher. He had the same number of homers, 9, as he did playing the outfield, but he hit 9 in less games as an outfielder.
He hit just .250 playing 2nd base. Mookie improved defensively at SS last season. He made just 7 errors in his 148 games there. In 24, he made 9 in less than half of that. It has always been his desire to play the infield. After all those years playing right, Mookie felt that it was taking a toll on his body. He felt moving to the infield would be less stressful on him. That was one of the reasons LA signed Teo. 
Can Betts remain and elite player staying at SS? That is a big question. Because of injury and illness, his last 2 seasons have not been what is expected of an elite player. Betts has hit 39 homers over the last two years. He hit that many in 23. It is obvious that at some point age becomes a huge factor in a player’s performance. We have seen it with Freddie Freeman over the last two seasons also. Just how much will his age affect Betts performance in 26? All we can do as fans is speculate.
I would hope Mookie can do much better than what Baseball Reference predicts. I believe he can get closer to .290. 25 homers would be my projection. I think his years of hitting 30 and driving in 100 runs are behind him. I still wish they would move him back in a leadoff roll where he could set the table for Ohtani and Freeman. But they seem to like Ohtani leading off more. My big disagreement with this is the fact that Ohtani strikes out a lot more often than Betts does. Ohtani could drive in a lot more runs hitting second or third.
I will be keeping a close eye on Betts in spring. I want to see how he is moving, and how much contact he is making, especially on fastballs. He seemed to be missing a lot of those last year. I believe we will some good moments from Betts, and some that might make us shake our heads. But he is a Dodger, a core member of the team. We can only hope he produces at a much higher level than he did last year.
I was elated when the Dodgers traded for Betts in February of 2020. I was surprised at the length of his contract which still has seven more years to go. Mookie will be 39 when it is finally over in 2032. Will he still be a Dodger? Will he still be playing SS, or will they move him to 2nd base and bring in some young whiz? Pee Wee Reese was 37 his last season as a full time SS. Bill Russell, the longest tenured SS in Dodger history, was 34 his last full season playing the position. I do not know what his future holds, but I am pretty sure a spot in Cooperstown will be calling. He has been a major factor in the team’s success. Hopefully this season, he rebounds to more Mookie like numbers.
3 WS title in 6 years since Mookie arrived in LA.
Even if does not play another inning for the Dodgers this has been one of the all time great trades in history of baseball.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I agree Ram. I do not see any other trade they have made that has impacted the team as much. Free agent signings maybe, but no trade. Reading that Tucker is close to making his decision. We know what the Mets are offering and there are rumors about how much the Jays have put out there. Not a murmur about what LA might have offered. Rockies signed Michael Lorenzen. De Podesta making a lot of changes to that roster.
I’m guessing the Dodgers do NOT sign Tucker. But it’s not for a lack of wanting him or a place to play him. I feel certain the Mets offer of $50MM per year was to get him but just as strongly intended to keep him away from the Dodgers.
Now, if Tucker WANTS to play for us to be in a better position to win a ring, I could see that as a possibility. But would he sign here for $45-50MM/season for a short term? Maybe 3 years w/options? AF/BG are fully aware the team’s core is aging fast. They don’t want to block DePaula, Hope or Sirota, maybe more.
Let’s all be ready for changes. Kike, Rojas and Muncy are ALL certainly in their last season (or half season!) as Dodgers.
Tucker has averaged 5.1bWAR and 4.68 fWAR over the last 5 years. I do not believe the Dodgers are offering more than 4 years but probably 3 years. I am comfortable in predicting an average of close to 5 WAR for those three years. I do not foresee the kids putting up those numbers as rookies or 2nd year players. Tucker did not break out until his age 24 season. Teoscar’s contract is up after two years, and Tucker’s would be 3. That puts one of the three to debut as a regular in 2028 and one other in 2029. All three could get MLB experience earlier, but will not be ready as regulars. I do not see them being blocked if Tucker signs a 3 year deal.
Jarren Duran has three years until FA. Steven Kwan and Brendan Donovan have two years. Luis Robert Jr. one or two. I cannot see AF agreeing to more than 2 years for Harrison Bader.
At 7 years and $258MM, Bellinger has moved well out of the LAD market.
It is reported that Toronto has offered Tucker 10 years. NYM has upped their offer to 4 years, but probably not at $50MM per (but close). If Tucker wanted a long term deal or a short term higher AAV deal, those deals are out there. Why has he not made his pick? Could it be that he is waiting for the Dodgers to push the envelope a little more making it easier to sign with them?
Boston is playing hard to get with its outfielders, and now that they’ve added Suarez, the prospect of a deal has become more remote.
Plan B or Plan C could be a pivot to Kwan. Not the sexiest move, but low-risk and less expensive. He’d be a big upgrade over what Conforto delivered on both offense and defense.
The Dodgers just won it all with Teo as the primary rightfielder, though I’d prefer something bolder.
Is Teo-Buxton-Pages a possibility?
I’d take Bader at 2 years/$26-27M. 3 years/$36-37M. Plays good defense, doesn’t cost much, and won’t block the kids.
Max should join Rojas on the bench. If not in April then as soon as June.
As long as Muncy is healthy, he will be the starter. He is not getting 10 million to sit on the bench.
He will self-deport to the bench.
Fred, you have been trying to put Max on the bench or on another team for years. If the man is healthy, he is playing third. His OBP is better as a starter by 40 points, he is LOUSY as a PH, .155, striking out twice as many times as he walks. Healthy, he plays, period.
“As long as he is healthy.” 120 games. Max.
“Tucker has averaged 5.1bWAR and 4.68 fWAR over the last 5 years.”
He’s averaged 4.65 the last 2 years. 4.6 in a contract year. If he’s paid anywhere near $50 million going past 30 I’m taking the under on 4,5 every one of those years.
It feels like those teams that were good last year will be doing whatever they can to get better this year. Minnesota might trade, White Sox might trade. Boston and the Cubs? I doubt it.
I doubt they resign Kike. Just my opinion. They are loaded with versatile infielders, and he won’t be ready until May or later.
I’m with you bear it won’t surprise me if Kike doesn’t play for the Dodgers next season
Kershaw is going to pitch for Team USA in the WBC.
Excellent. I’ll watch every pitch and truly hopes he goes out showing he can still be effective and some times dominating. GO KERSH!!
LF. Teo
CF. Call and Edman
RF. Pages
Wait for Sirota to be in CF.
Depending on what it takes to get Lewis, get Lewis.
Who plays 2b?
I am holding out for Julio Rodriguez in CF and José Ramirez at 3B. And then Tarik Skubal at the deadline.
I like it!
I am also willing to move Mookie to 2B to make room for Bobby Witt Jr.
And after that passes, do you try for Lewis at 3rd and Pages for CF?
When was the last time you heard that Minnesota was making Lewis available, or that the Dodgers were pursuing him? At this time of year, I am focusing on realistic opportunities. If were are dreaming, I have my dreams. We have heard that Donovan is available, and some believe that Hoerner is available. However Hoerner is getting less so. Chicago is looking to hold onto him and making Shaw the super utility guy, ala Tommy Edman.
Pages is a RF who can play CF.
Hello Jeff,
How does the international draft work? It seems the Dodgers can never got a top rated pick? Why is that? A back to back world champion and they get a 45projected pick? I don’t know how they are signed but u would think LA could do much better.
These kids are basically scouted and moved to academies beginning at the age of 13 where they develop, and ultimately signed at 16. Each of the teams have their own academy or academies. The Dodgers top two picks this year were at the same academy and trained by the same person(s) as Emil Morales.
The Dodgers signed two top IFA the last two years. 2024 they signed Emil Morales for about $1.9MM and last year they signed Roki Sasaki for $6MM+. They got burned with Yadier Alvarez, Yusniel Diaz, Diego Cartaya, and others.
· Andy Pages – $300K
I have a post coming out on this year’s IFA.
I think you are confusing the MLB draft with the international signing period. There is no draft. Teams have a pool of money that they can sign international players with. Teams who are over the CBT can forfeit pool money. They can also lose pool money signing a free agent with a QO. LA’s pool this year is 5,146,200. Along with the Giants, the lowest amount of pool money. Players being signed must be at least 16 years old, pass a physical and sign before than can be approved by the commissioner’s office. Pools are determined by revenue and market size. Small-market teams get the biggest pools while large market teams get the smallest. Bonuses of less than 10,000 dollars do not count against the pool. The Dodgers top pick, SS Ezequel Melbourne, a 16-year-old SS from the Dominican Republic, got 747,500 dollars in bonus money. He is a switch-hitting SS. They signed LH hitting outfielder, Rubel Arias for 997,500. Arias and Melbourne trained together.
I wasn’t confusing it I just couldn’t understand how the world champions can’t seem to get a top player. I thought I might be missing something. Thanks
In the MLB amateur draft, teams go in reverse order of their standings. Dodgers drop to 45 because of where they finished at the end of the year, and signing Diaz cost them a couple of picks.
The best thing I’ve read today about the international signing period is the fact that neither de Paula or Quintero got big bonuses when they signed.
Now they are two top prospects–a validation of the team’s player development operation.
I think the Cubs may have checked on Hoerner’s value earlier in the offseason, but with the Bregman signing all signs are pointing to the Cubs taking this season seriously, trading Hoerner makes no sense. Now if some club makes a ridiculous offer they may consider it, but I believe Hoerner stays a cub, and plays in the playoffs this coming season.
😂
Rockies sign INF/OF Willi Castro for two years.
Dbacks signed reliever Taylor Clarke for one year. DFAd Gus Varland to make room on 40-man.
Salary for both were not yet disclosed.
Per Jeff Passan Dodgers get Tucker
Wow….so we did it. I guess watching the Blue Jays sign player after player just had to force this transaction. Lol
4 years 240 million with an opt out after 2027
AF said they were confident something would come together but would have to be patient. They got their guy.
I can see Teo perhaps being traded but I’m so grateful I root for a team that has ownership willing to make the investment necessary to win.
Lets go back-to back- to back!!!!!
I doubt they trade Teo because I doubt anyone wants his salary. For the first time in a while, LA has 3 starting outfielders with 20 plus home run power. Teo moves to left where he did fine in 24. Call will be the #4 outfielder with Edman as the Swiss army knife or the full-time 2nd baseman, where he actually would be the best option.
With the luxury tax, that’s costing us $120+MM per year. Just another perk from the Shohei signing.
My guess is there is some deferred money so it may not quite be a 60 mil hit on the AAV
Good thought.
He also has opt outs after years 2 and 3, not that anyone is going to pay him that kind of money to leave here.
If he can stay healthy, I think he can be the kind of player the Dodgers need, high on base low KOs plenty of walks.
Who gets released or traded from the 40 man roster to make room for Tucker?
Trade Knack
Wow. The “let’s be pigs” Dodgers just keep ruining baseball.
The $60m AAV over 4 years blew the Mets and Jays out of the water….
Crazy…
Cool
I’m happy we got him but I didn’t expect it, there was still a sliver of hope, count me surprised.
Where is Badger this was his move he’d been calling for all off season
It is way past Badgers bedtime.
Good morning.
I’m thrilled but also very surprised. $/WAR $8M? Dodgers just blew that up.
This Tucker contract reeks of gluttony. How is this even remotely reasonable? Welcome to a lockout for all of 2027 or a salary cap. The owners are not going to continue to accept the Dodgers and a $60MM AAV for players. This makes absolutely no sense economically for baseball purposes. He does not have the marketability of Ohtani or even Yamamoto.
The $30MM deferral drops the AAV to $57.1MM. That drops the fWAR requirement from 7.5 to 7.14. That is a 28.6 fWAR for his age 29-32 years. His career fWAR is 25.4. Just not feasible.
The contract calls for opt outs after the 2nd and 3rd year, like he is going to opt out of this contract.
I am just not a fan. In 2024, Tucker played 78 games, and in 2025 he played 136 games. Not ideal for 7+ fWAR seasons. He better make a run of 4 years as MVP.
Sure Teoscar could be traded, but who is going to take Teo off the Dodgers hands and assume his total contract? Who is going to want to help the Dodgers after this deal? My guess is that if the owners were reticent to deal with LAD before, they really are not going to give AF a chance at a win now.
This makes Bellinger’s demands chump change.
Gluttony compared to what?
Was Shohei gluttony? Soto?
Preller buys and deals players like he’s on crack. Do you think Xander Boegart’s 25.5 AAV through 2033 is a sensible contract that is going to age well? You could say the same for Machado and Tatis, actually. They’re going to get paid beyond the point where they really should be out of the league.
You could say the same about Bryce Harper. If you recall, the Dodgers made him a similar short term offer way back in 2019 – 45 AAV for four years. In my opinion, and from the Dodgers point of view, it was a rational offer. He declined and signed a 330 million deal with the Phillies through 2031, and now Dave Dombrowski is publicly calling him out for no longer being the elite player he was. Well, what do you expect? He’s 33 and he’s been a big leaguer since he was like 22. Even if 33 isn’t old, that’s a lot of MLB mileage. Now the Phillies are on the hook for another five years of a declining offensive player who can barely play first. Had he accepted the Dodger’s short term overpay, we would have gotten his monster 2021, but he’d be gone now and off the books.
And fWAR “requirement?” It’s FREE AGENCY. There is no requirement. It’s whatever a suiter is willing to pay. You may not think he’s worth it, but someone else might, and, as it turns out, did. That’s the way open bidding and a free market works. It’s not tied to any arbitrary made up metric.
And really, 30 years from now, when baseball fans are looking back at the all time great dynasties, no one’s going to give a shit whether Tucker’s fWAR average was 7.5 or 7.whatever. Flags are forever, and that’s what the Dodgers are shooting for and that’s what their overpaying for.
We’ve watched the whole process during the AF tenure. We saw him sign high risk high reward players like the Brandon McCarthys, and the cast-off reclamation projects like Brandon Morrow. We watched as he let the Zack Greinkes and Cory Seagers walk. While not exactly frugal, it was obvious they were keeping their powder dry while they methodically assembled the parts of a dynasty.
The potential dynasty is here. The Dodger core players are on the wrong side of 30, and, while there is an opportunity for a couple more WS flags, the window is closing. If you’re going to make a rational case why the Dodgers should be gluttons and overpay for Tucker’s peak, this is it.
If you want to talk about competitive balance, that’s a whole other issue.
Gluttony compared to the rest of MLB. How many organizations can pay Kyle Tucker that contract? Two: LAD and NYM. The other one signed Bichette to a deal only two other teams might have been willing to pay (Phillies and LAD).
Shohei was not glutony. He actually makes $$$ for the Dodgers. Soto? Absolutely.
Bogaerts? No his contract was horrible and most said that at the time he was signed. This was more likely that Preller was pissed that he lost Trea Turner to Philadelphia and was not about to lose Bogaerts.
Harper? He needs to average a little over a 2 fWAR for th enext 6 years to justify his contract. I think he accomplishes that.
I’m with you on this one Jeff. This sets the baseball world on it’s ear. Gluttony does come to mind, even embarrassment. It’s obvious that they did this so no one else could have him because Tucker is not remotely worth $60M a year. Ohtani is worth it because he’s an investment that brings massive returns; Tucker is not. Norcal’s assessment of the payroll is spot on and makes sense, but the optics are just not good. This also puts even more pressure on this team to produce this season. In the end it’s not our money (or draft picks), is it!
If teams are unwilling to trade with AF then he has to do what he has to do. He knows we beat a Blue Jays team that was a much better offensive team than the Dodgers, and he also knows we don’t have enough ready Milb talent to play in the big leagues.
According to Sportrac the Dodgers, after the 2025 season, took approx. $88 million off the books with expiring contracts (Kershaw, Yates, Conforto, CT3, Barnes, Margot, Kiki, Phillips, Gonsolin, Kopech and Phillips). Some might re-signed, but a nice job by AF of strategically subtracting some contracts on the balance sheet and adding others that don’t exorbitantly exceed the year prior.
With the additions of Tucker and Diaz and with deferrals included, the Dodgers replaced the $88 million in expiring contracts with $78 million AAV in new contracts not including the tax penalty. The taxes are just part of the Dodgers business model the Dodgers live by, and also creates a lot of money for other MLB clubs.
In the coming years we will start to see a recalibration with the payroll when we start to infuse some youth into the line-up and see the likes of Treinen, Glasnow, Freddie, Teo, Muncy, Rojas exit stage right.
I read that the Dodgers put 90% of all revenue back into the baseball operation (salaries, development, analytics etc) while other teams use that same revenue far differently.
This is the best time to be a Dodger fan. Great ownership, great front office, great stadium, great marketing, great players and as for this Dodger fan I’m not apologizing to anyone. Let’s get to CBR and get ready for 2026.
As the great American boxing referee Mills Lane use to say, “Lets get it on!”
Not 90%, but 73%
If there is a lockout next year, do the players get paid and/or do the contracts get extended
No, th players do not get paid from the owners as long as they are in a lockout. There is a strike fund. I do not how much that is.
No, with no CBA in place, there is no labor agreement, so they won’t get paid their salaries. Those who have endorsements will be making something.
More than any other MLB team.
Actually the Mets’ payroll is a higher percentage of revenue than LAD.
Jeff you sound disappointed and a little surprised.
TBH this really wasn’t shock news to wake up to this morning. Since the Ohtani signing AF has changed his philosophy around signing Free Agents.He doesn’t make a great fanfare, quite the opposite, he stays in the long grass letting the game play out before him.
He is almost honour bound to Shohei after his willingness to defer those huge sums of money in order for the Dodgers to remain competitive for the duration of his 10 year contract.
AF saw our offensive production take a dip, and like us, saw us get lucky to win successive WS.. and has acted to address it. The “Pigs”
quote certainly applies here because you are correct in that it’s a ridiculous contract and a massive over pay. However, he has the financial ability and clout to make this happen and although it might seem unfair, it is the reality of where the Dodgers currently are. I was against the Ohtani signing because I believed it would hamstring us for years financially and affect our ability to sign quality players going forward. This was totally wrong and actually the reverse has happened, and in fact we are now in a stronger position than ever before.
I’ll admit that it all feels a bit unseemly but hey ho im glad it is us and not the Yankees or Cohen’s Mets that are doing this.it is clear AF is not worried about the loss of Draft Picks, and the Luxury Tax penalties, so why should we?
It’s a 4 year deal which gives us Tucker’s prime years and is a bridge to our Outfield Prospects without blocking them. It also moves Teo back to LF improving our defence.
Teo, Pages, and Tucker have some serious power.
Ive learned to embrace this period in Dodger’s history. It is a bit cringy but we have had many years of nothingness before, and I dare say that there’s a strong possibility that when Guggenheim are done, there’ll be a few more.
As for a lock out at the season’s end, well that was coming anyway and I guess AF wanted to fire his bullets while he still could.
This is the 26 Dodgers, rewriting the script and they might not be done yet,
Bichette is still out there….,
It’s my opinion Tucker’s prime years are behind him. The curve for that is generally considered 26-29. It appears he peaked at ages 24-26, averaging 4.9 fWAR. The last two years he’s averaged 4.35 fWAR. At age 29 he’s trending down. But the Dodgers don’t care. I don’t either. We got a middle of the order hitter who is younger than everyone hitting in front of him.
And what does this mean for baseball? Fans pay for all of it. ALL OF IT. Will there be a fan revolt? Could be, but I doubt it. Everyone across the country will tune in rooting for every team that is playing the Dodgers. And owners? The median net worth of MLB owners is $3.2 billion and growing. They can compete if they want to. They can try anyway. They might have to use their own money and billionaires don’t do that. They became billionaires by using other people’s money so f them.
The NY teams, Boston, and Chicago have the markets to compete with the Dodgers, followed by the Philadelphia, Atlanta and St Louis. Everyone else? Sorry. And good luck.
Three team trade between the Rays, Angels and Red. Rays get Gavin Lux, Angels get Josh Lowe, and the Reds get Brock Burke from the Angels. The Rays also get minor league pitcher Chris Clark from the Angels.
Who’s Brock Burke?
And Lux sent to Florida, the MLB graveyard. So much promise, so little delivery. I can still see the visual of the day he blew his knee out. Wow. Just running from second to third, something he had done hundreds if not thousands of times in his life. You just never know. As Ellis said in No Country for Old Men – “you can’t stop what’s coming.”
Brock Burke is a 29-year-old left-handed reliever. He has played in the majors for five years. He debuted with the Rangers in 2019. He was traded to the Angels in 24 and in his 2 years there, he has a 9-2 record with a 3.40 ERA. He was 7-1 last season.
A friend of mine used AI to photoshop me at Dodger Stadium. That is the shirt and hat I wore when my daughter got married in 2006 in Las Vegas.
Interesting shot Bear. But, what’s wrong with that picture?
Just a guess Badger. The background is completely screwed up. The stands and pavilion are from left field, so are backwards. The infield is in the outfield. The dirt spot where Bear was placed is in the outfield per this picture. Does your friend know anything how a baseball field is laid out or ever seen a picture of Dodger Stadium?
All that being said, it’s a great picture of Bear!
He knows I am a Dodger fan, and he wanted to get the Dodgers logo on the scoreboard behind me. Nope, he has no clue about baseball or Dodger Stadium. I was just surprised he got that particular outfit when I wore it just the once.
3 Thoughts
I am not apologizing to anyone about the Dodger payroll after suffering through Fox and Frank McCourt ownership. It was only 15 or so years ago the Dodgers were bankrupt and MLB had to step in.
It’s not just money that lands us players like Shohei, Yamamoto and Tucker. LA is the best run org and culture. Mets players last year talked about the poor culture and lack of trust in mgt. With equal dollars, what player wants to step into that?
To be a young Dodger means lots of opportunities to play this season. Young arms will play a major role as we “manage” our high-end starters. Likewise for position players. With Teo, Tucker, Betts, Freeman, Muncy there will be nagging injuries and slumps that require time-off.
Congrats to the Dodgers for continuing to ruin baseball. I agree with Jeff in that the Dodgers have absolutely no limits on what they will spend to outbid other teams. I think matching the Mets ridiculous offer they could have signed Tucker.
Considering Tucker’s personality LA would be an easy choice of over a tough media landscape in NY.
Sixty million dollars per year for an average WAR of 4.35 the past two years? What is a point of WAR valued at? $8-$9 million? And, like Badger mentioned is that Tucker has played through his peak years and will most likely continue to have his production decrease.
It will be fun to watch how all this plays out in 2026.
I think with the Dodgers’ recent success, unlimited budget, and all that LA has to offer the rest of baseball has no chance to compete with Guggenheim. Not even Steve Cohen and all his money. It’s New York after all.
It will be interesting to see what Guggenheim does with the Lakers and a sport that has a salary cap. Ending the LaBron era would be a good start!
Carry on.
WOW!! Did not see this coming. Looks like we have fixed the outfield, our biggest problem. Now we just need to stay healthy. Or get healthy in the case of Edman.
I am a Dodger fan, always have been and always will be. But this is a little over the top. They needed an upgrade for sure, but a guy who isn’t close to being the best player on the team is making the most money. And he will get 60 million up front. I just can’t fathom it. Mays would be a billionaire.
Do you want a flag?
Not the way I would have upgraded. But, it ain’t my money. Bichette and Belli must be ecstatic.
Once again only Dodger fans complain about leadership spending TOO MUCH money on their baseball club. There’s a club just down the freeway that you can root for who won’t make that mistake and when they do spend big money, they do so in such a disastrous way! Personally, thank you Mark Walters, Stan Kasten and AF! Thank you for making October my favorite month. And a healthy Tucker in 26 will put up huge numbers. Wait and see.
Cassidy, do you think Tucker will put up better numbers than Ohtani? Freeman? Betts? Not my money so I don’t really care, but this is just a bit over the top, and excuse me, I have seen fans complain about them spending 17 million on Conforto and him not being worth it. It is my personal opinion that there is not an athlete in the world worth that kind of money. That being said, paying for something that you have no clue how it will work, is just a wee bit dumb. But owners of sports teams do it all the time. Ohtani has more than justified his contract in exposure, advertising and memorabilia sales. Tucker has nowhere near that kind of monetary influx. And don’t tell me who to root for. I have been a fan for too many years to be told how to think.
But you don’t mind telling mothers how they should think. Hmmmmm?
I don’t tell others what to think I express my opinion. If you disagree, fine. I really do not care. But I am not going to just roll over because someone disagrees with me. I am not always right. Never have been.
Tomato/tomaaato
Your opinion which is your right.
They need to open a roster spot on the 40-man. Most vulnerable player is Michael Siani.
I am going with Ryan Ward. Siani has MLB experience as a CF. Siani is younger than Ward. If I am Ward I am pissed. The Dodgers ccoul have done nothing with him and let him go to another team where he gets a choice. Now he virtually has no chance to make the LAD roster. There are teams looking for a 4th OF. Cut him free so he can have a chance with another team
I hope they cut Ward loose so he can catch on with another team where he can get a legitimate chance.
So, where does Tucker bat in the lineup???
Most folks seem to think he’ll bat 5th.
If it was left to me I would do the following:
Mookie
Freddie
Tucker
Shohei
Smith
Max
Teo
Pages
Edman
That would never happen because it isn’t very right/left/right/etc and Shohei doesn’t want to hit 4th.
Betts has his best numbers as a leadoff man. Freeman has a better average hitting 2nd. But he has the most at bats in the 3 hole. Ohtani only has 132 at bats in the cleanup spot. His splits in the 1&2 holes are almost equal.
Ohtani-Betts-Freeman-Smith-Tucker-Teo-Muncy-Pages-Edman. My guess would be the five hole behind Smith.
This would be the lineup I would go with I think Kim may get some time at second as Edman probably will be on the IL to start the season
Totally agree with that, and Kim is much faster than Edman.
The Mets, not to be denied, are signing Bichette to a 3 year/126 mil contract. Apparently they plan to play him at 3B.
Seems like a bit of a panic move to me, but what do I know?
Bo Bichette signs a 3/126 deal with the Mets.
Wow Bellinger may get more than that 5/150 deal he turned down (I was wrong on that one. Again).
I would not be surprised at all to see the Mets sign Bellinger in the next day or two. They still need an outfielder
I think Belli will go back to the Yankees.
Time for Steve Cohen to force his GM to start using all that money if he wants to become the east coast version of the Dodgers.
I agree that we could see them sign Belli in the next day or two and then go sign or trade for a good starter.
If they do those two things, suddenly Mets fans will go from screaming in frustration to screaming with delight and they’ll have had a good off season.
Bear. What “No clue as to how it will work out.” I think Tucker has proved to be a really good player when healthy. If you’re calling AF “dumb” then I think you may be alone in that opinion. Is it an overpay? Sure. But the Dodgers can afford it. And yes, I believe Tucker will have better numbers than everyone but Ohtani. And he gets Teo out of RF. And was Conforto a bust? Yes, but here’s the key. Only for one year. Nothing is guaranteed but AF wins a lot more than he loses.
Not AF’s money either. I don’t think AF is dumb by any stretch of the imagination. I just think spending that kind of money on one guy is dumb. Sure, LA can afford it. If fans had their way, there would be an All-Star at every position. Studs at the back of the bullpen and pitchers who could go 7 innings every start. But going to the ballpark is expensive enough as it is. I know I damn sure could not afford it. So, I do the next best thing, spend whatever it costs to get MLB.TV and watch the games from the comfort of my couch. Not as exciting as being there. But one hell of a lot cheaper. And even at that, all the Rockies games against the Dodgers are blacked out so I have to watch the Rockies broadcasts, which I do with the sound off. But then fans turn around and complain because the kids in the Dodger system are blocked. And this team is not getting any younger. The only three position players likely to make the 26-man who are under 30 are Kim, Pages and Rushing. With the addition of Tucker, that makes four. He is going to be 29 tomorrow. And I am sorry; there is no 4.6 WAR player worth 50 million a year. Ohtani more than pays for what he is getting just in memorabilia and the number of fans he draws to the stadium. Fans are not flocking to the park to see Tucker. Yes, Tucker is a very good player. 20 homer power, .277 career BA, and an OPS of .865. Brings speed and a decent glove to the game. but he is no gold glover out there. Better than Teo maybe, but here is a hot flash for you, Teo made less errors out there last year than Tucker, 3-2.
It may be an overpay but I’d rather see an overpay for 4 years than a 10 year 350 million deal that you are paying for his decline years
Yes Conforto was a bust. But I don’t consider it a mistake or major blunder by AF. It was a calculated risk that just didn’t work out. Same for Yates. Jury is still out on Scott. You can’t win them all. AF does a very good job. 3 WS titles in 6 years. The Guggs know what they are doing money wise. That is there business. Besides, if it blows up in their faces in 20 years, I probably won’t be around to see it. LOL
Neither will I. I just hope to be around to see CK go into the hall. If anyone thinks this signing isn’t a calculated risk, they are mistaken.
Yeah, I hope to be around for Kershaw induction. And 2 or 3 more WS championships.
Every signing is a calculated risk.
Exactly and the Dodgers have had their share of some really bad ones.
Yes we have. The big difference between the large and small market teams is the big market teams can survive the bad signings. A bad signing can set a small market team back for years. The Dodgers just brush it off.
True, but two of the worst came when McCourt was the owner. Andruw Jones and Jason Schmidt.
After losing out on Bichette, the Phillies circled back to JT Realmuto as their catcher for 3 years and $45MM, with annual $5MM incentives.
Bottom line, baseball is a business.
The Dodgers can afford to give Tucker crazy money because they’re still profitable when doing so. If he helps them win a third consecutive WS, their revenue will increase all that much more.
With regard to Tucker’s value, I think it will all come down to how many games he’ll play. I could see him reaching 6 WAR if he can stay on the field. In 2024 he had 4.6 WAR in only 78 games. If he joins the Buxton/Robert Jr/Royce Lewis Injury Club, this could be a bad signing, but if he’s healthy, I think we’ll all be glad we signed him.
Yeah I read your comment above regarding his prime years and you could be right, but I think hitting in the middle of this lineup, and more importantly if he can stay healthy, then his best years could still be ahead.
Sorry STB – I thought I was replying to Badger
You don’t want to talk to me? 😎
I see that the White Sox are interested in Conforto. Will be interesting to see what he gets in salary. Should be cheap deal.
What happened to Verdugo?????
I think Verdugo’s personality coupled with a couple of bad seasons may have resulted in a premature ending to his MLB career.
His next contract just might be in Japan or Korea. A couple of good years over there and he might find his way back. He’s still only 29.
It is reported that Tucker has an op-out clause after two years. What does that mean? Can he decide to leave the Dodgers with no ramifications? Just walk away and go with another team? Likewise, do the Dodgers have the option to let him go with no financial obligations?
Yes, he can walk away after his 2nd or 3rd year The Dodgers would give him a QO and would get a draft pick. We know that Tucker gets a $64MM signing bonus, but we do not know what his annual salaries will be for the four years. If the salariies are back loaded, there is no way Tucker will opt out.
If Tucker’s agent was on the ball, he’ll have seen to it that the contract is front loaded, although I guess you can just twist AF’s arm so much.
I think you can only be given a QO once during your career and the Cubs did that this past year, so Andrew won’t be able to do that.