Jeff Passan gets 100% real on fans’ frustration over Dodgers’ Kyle Tucker signing

The Los Angeles Dodgers have done it again, outbidding the competition to add another superstar as they attempt to three-peat as World Series champs. Los Angeles signed Kyle Tucker to a four-year, $240 million deal on Thursday, trumping the New York Mets’ measly offer of four years and $220 million.

The Mets would have made Tucker the second-highest-paid player in baseball history by AVV behind only Shohei Ohtani at $55 million per year. And Tucker would have been the highest-paid player in MLB by Net Present Value (NPV) in New York. But the Dodgers topped it. And fans are furious that the rich keep getting richer.

“I think the anger from baseball fans is understandable,” ESPN’s Jeff Passan said on The Pat McAfee Show. “It is warranted and it’s illustrative of where the game is right now and what both owners and players need to do as the collective bargaining agreement expires on December 1. Baseball needs to listen to its fans. And what its fans are saying right now is… [they] feel like this game is unfair.”

Dodgers pass $2 billion with Kyle Tucker deal

The Dodgers surpassed $2.11 billion in contracts with Tucker’s signing. And more than $1 billion of that money is deferred with payments pushed out for the next two decades. Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Black Snell, Will Smith and Freddie Freeman will still be getting paid in the 2040s. And Snell’s deferral won’t be resolved until 2046.

In Tucker’s case, Passan notes “there weren’t a whole lot of deferrals – $30 million out of the $240 million. It takes the annual average value down to $57.1 million a year [from $60 million]. … And the reason the Dodgers are doing it is very simple. Kyle Tucker is 28 years old. And they are getting those prime seasons.”

The Dodgers now boast an even more terrifying lineup as they prepare to defend their title. And, in a sport that was never known for parity in the first place, LA’s mult-billion spending raises serious questions about competitive balance.

However, one thing is certain. Tucker did very well for himself. The veteran right fielder’s four-year deal includes opt-outs after 2027 and 2028, allowing him to re-enter the open market in search of a long-term deal while still in his prime and presumably putting up strong numbers batting in a lineup featuring three league MVPs.

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