Dodgers' Kyle Tucker ranked below Padres' $340 million superstar on MLB Opening Day list

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Kyle Tucker is one of the best players in baseball. 

The NL West club committed $240 million to the left-handed slugger across the next four years, hoping he can lead them to yet another World Series championship. 

Tucker's contract set the record for the highest average annual value in Major League history. But that doesn't automatically make him the best player in the sport.

Of course, the Dodgers are not afraid to spend, and the four-time All-Star still needs to perform. As Opening Day nears, where does Tucker rank among MLB's best players? There's a superstar in San Diego who was recently placed above him. 

Padres' three-time All-Star ranked above Tucker 

Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly released his top 25 MLB player rankings on Monday, with Opening Day less than 10 days away. 

In a surprising twist, he ranked Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres ahead of Tucker, something many Dodgers and baseball fans may disagree with. Kelly listed Tucker and Tatis as the 18th and 17th-best players in baseball, respectively. 

"Per FanGraphs, Tucker has been worth 8.7 WAR over the last two seasons," wrote Kelly. "That's a pretty remarkable number considering a right shin fracture limited Tucker to only 78 games during his final season in Houston in 2024, before he played through a hairline fracture in his right hand as a member of the Chicago Cubs for more than half the 2025 season." 

As a two-time winner of the Platinum Glove Award, Tatis is a better defender in right field than Tucker. While there's no doubt about that, Tucker bested Tatis in four non-counting offensive categories in 2025, including OPS+ (143 compared to Tatis' 125). 

Who finishes the upcoming season as the better overall player should be a fun exercise throughout the summer. 

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