Dodgers' biggest disappointment of 2026 is pair of $47M free agent busts

The Los Angeles Dodgers were major spenders once again in free agency, landing a few of the top names on the open market in pursuit of a third straight World Series title.

With the MLB postseason right around the corner, the Dodgers have already secured a spot and will likely be one of the top contenders. But it's not thanks to their top free-agent additions.

ESPN's Bradford Doolittle named their two big free agent pickups, Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz, as the team's "biggest disappointments" for the 2026 season. The duo is making $47 million in 2026, and they've hurt the Dodgers more than they've helped.

Dodgers' biggest disappointment is wasted $47M on Tucker, Diaz

"The Dodgers' splash signings of Tucker and Edwin Diaz in last season's free agency were the cause of much handwringing about L.A.'s economic dominance," Doolittle writes. "While those high-level, targeted acquisitions looked like no-brainers at the time, the first year of both deals could hardly have gone worse."

Tucker and Diaz have been terrible additions for the Dodgers. While they were the top reliever and top position player in last offseason's free agency, both have been major letdowns this season.

They're combining to make $47 million this season, and their combined performance this season has been a net negative.

Tucker has 0.5 bWAR for the season in the first year of his four-year, $240 million contract. He has 15 homers, a .227 batting average, and 94 OPS+ in nearly 500 at-bats.

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Diaz has -1.3 bWAR for the Dodgers this year, posting a horrible 11.85 ERA in 16 outings, allowing 18 runs in 13.2 innings with a 36 ERA+, easily the worst mark of his MLB career.

While the Dodgers' recent loss of Shohei Ohtani to the injured list is a major disappointment, it hardly compares to the poor play from Tucker and Diaz this season.

Their additions of Tucker and Diaz were met with frustration from MLB fans of other teams. But the Dodgers have gotten negative value from the two big additions this offseason.

Diaz and Tucker have combined for -0.8 bWAR this season. That's horrible production, and while Diaz's struggles are the main reason for this negative value, Tucker being worth just 0.5 bWAR is a major disappointment.

There's no sugarcoating their struggles. Tucker and Diaz have been massive disappointments for the Dodgers and are major free-agent busts so far.

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