MILWAUKEE, WI – OCTOBER 04: Kyle Tucker #30 of the Chicago Cubs looks on during the singing of the national anthem prior to Game One of the National League Division Series presented by Booking.com between the Chicago Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Saturday, October 4, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
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Yes, the Los Angeles Dodgers are the repeating World Champions of Major League Baseball.
Barely.
It took some gigantic heroics from several Dodgers players to defeat the well-balanced attack of the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 of the 2025 World Series.
World Series Most Valuable Player, Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched his heart out to win Game 7.
A huge go-ahead homer from catcher Will Smith gave the team their winning run.
But a huge home run from Miguel Rojas off Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman gave Smith and Yamamoto the stage to excel.
Rojas also made a brilliant fielding play to save the victory.
sportrac.com lists the Dodgers 2025 payroll at $240,412,861,
To this old scout, the Dodgers proved they are the best team that money can buy.
And frankly, they may not be finished adding to their landscape skewing Major League Baseball payroll.
This old scout thinks Kyle Tucker will be heading to the Dodgers, after a one year stop with the Chicago Cubs.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 30: Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts looks on ahead of game one of the National League Wild Card Series between the San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on September 30, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
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Can the Cubs and the Ricketts Family ownership afford to keep Tucker? Of course they can.
Will they? That’s possible.
Or maybe the San Francisco Giants have an interest in Kyle Tucker?
Dodgers payroll fit?
Perhaps the Dodgers would be willing to top their $240M payroll for next season.
Reports have surfaced that Tucker may seek a contract value of more than $300M.
The Dodgers also need a quality closer, and bullpen help. That will be costly.
Tyler Glasnow is the highest paid Dodgers player (other than Shohei Ohtani, who has deferred his payments.) Glasnow made $32.5M this year. Shohei chose to take only $28,216,944 of his mammoth 10-year, $700M contract.
Where would Tucker fit on the 2026 Dodgers payroll scale?
Teoscar Hernandez, another good hitting outfielder, will make $14.709,589 next season.
Tucker may slide right in beside Teoscar at a similar figure.
This year, the Cubs paid Tucker $16.5M, so an increase is expected.
And Tucker, 28, will likely sign for multiple years. He may even get a no-trade guarantee.
Chicago Cubs’ Kyle Tucker celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting a three-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves in Chicago, Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
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About Kyle Tucker:
Tucker, a left-handed hitter, is 6-4, 212 pounds.
When healthy, Tucker is a dangerous hitter. He hit 22 homers, and drove in 87 runs for the Chicago Cubs in 136 games, covering 597 plate appearances. He also had 22 doubles, and four triples.
Tucker has some legitimate speed on the bases, as he stole 25 bases in 28 attempts in 2025.
But he also missed time due to injury.
After the Houston Astros used their No. 1 2015 draft pick on Tucker, he played parts of seven season with Houston. The Astros traded Tucker to the Cubs on December 13, 2024, for infielder Isaac Paredes, outfielder Cam Smith, and pitcher Hayden Wesneski.
That would be quite a package of players to have yielded for only a one-year rental.
That’s why the Cubs may get into the bidding for Tucker, even if it means giving him a long-term, expensive contract.
Tucker was the No. 5 player taken in his draft, and the Astros gave him a $4M signing bonus.
Tucker has appeared in four All Star Games, all in these past four seasons. He won a Silver Slugger Award in 2023, with the Astros.
Tucker won a right field Gold Glove with the Astros in 2022.
Sports agent Casey Close is shown after his client, free agent infielder Jed Lowrie, signed with the New York Mets at a press conference introducing Lowrie to the media, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019, at CitiField in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
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Casey Close of Excel Sports Management represents Kyle Tucker.
Close and Tucker may have an exciting decision to make about his future, as multiple teams may compete for the services of a legitimate, left-handed power hitting outfielder.
If the new MLB season started tomorrow, the Dodgers would likely field an outfield of Andy Pages in left, Tommy Edman in center, and Teoscar Hernandez in right. Shohei Ohtani would be the DH.
But there is certainly room for Kyle Tucker in the Los Angeles Dodgers 2026 outfield.
Paying Tucker would not be an issue for the Dodgers.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/berniepleskoff/2025/11/06/kyle-tucker-may-wish-to-leave-chicago-cubs-and-sign-with-the-dodgers/
