Former Blue Jays star explains $240M reason behind Kyle Tucker’s Dodgers signing

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Kyle Tucker went with the dollar over long-term security as he becomes another free agent who picked the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Toronto Blue Jays. Over the past few offseasons, it has kind of become a norm whenever both clubs are interested in a common free agent. It happened with Shohei Ohtani's free agency, and the same can be said for Yoshinobu Yamamoto as well.

Tucker signed a four-year, $240 million deal with the Dodgers, while rejecting the Blue Jays' reported 10-year, $350 million offer. The outfielder joins a star-studded roster who are aiming to complete their World Series three-peat this fall.

On his 6ix Inning Stretch Podcast, former Blue Jays star Whit Merrifield revealed that Tucker wanted to sign with the Blue Jays, but the Dodgers' offer was too good to ignore.

“His agent texted me and was like, ‘Hey, Kyle really wanted to go to Toronto,’" Merrifield said. "The Jays offered him ten years for [$350 million], which ended up coming out. They needed, I felt like they needed a little bit more based on Kyle and his market and comparables. Toronto just wasn’t willing to do more than [$35 million] a year.

“Everyone has a value for different players. Toronto felt that his value was [$35 million] a year for ten years, which is an incredible offer. The Dodgers came in and said about [$60 million] a year. It’s hard to say no to that."

The Dodgers valued Tucker close to $60 million a year, while the Blue Jays were almost half of that. So even though Tucker wished to join the Blue Jays, he had to go where the dollar was.

More: Dodgers will pay just $3 million total salary during 2026 MLB season to Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Tucker

Kyle Tucker shares World Series ambition with Dodgers fans

Kyle Tucker became a World Series champion in 2022 with the Houston Astros. Four years later, he has joined a franchise that looks unstoppable. The Dodgers defeated the Yankees in 2024 and the Blue Jays in 2025 to become back-to-back World Series champions. A three-peat is very much possible and Tucker's addition could really make that happen.

In his introductory press conference, Tucker said what the Dodgers fans wanted to hear.

“What’s up Dodgers fans? Excited to be out here in LA. Let’s go win another World Series!... “Playing here is exciting. You can see the fan base really embrace the team, embrace the city, and want to encourage the players to go out there and play at a high level. And I think the players kind of speak for themselves with the play that they do out on the field, winning multiple World Series championships, especially the last two years.”

In 2025, Tucker posted a slashline of .266/.377/.464 with a .841 OPS to go along with 22 home runs and 73 RBIs. When healthy, Tucker is a great asset and the next four years are expected to be exciting in Chavez Ravine.