Full details on Kyle Tuckers new contract with Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers made a big splash last night when they landed star outfielder Kyle Tucker on a four-year, $240MM deal that shattered AAV records and affords him opt-out opportunities after the second and third seasons.

Though the Dodgers were commonly listed as one of Tucker's three potential landing spots in his final days on the open market, the deal is still an upset of sorts, given that the Blue Jays were more heavily linked to him over the past couple weeks.

The deal includes $30MM in deferrals and will come with an approximate $57.1MM annual value for luxury tax purposes.

Tucker, a client of Excel Sports Management, receives a $64MM signing bonus all but $10MM of which is paid upfront, and can opt out after the second or third seasons.

It's a $60MM average on the surface. Without adjusting for deferrals, Tucker's deal would be the second-highest AAV ever.

Ohtani landed a $70MM AAV on his 10-year, $700MM guarantee, though the massive deferrals meant it had a «true» annual value closer to $46MM.

One should therefore view the $51MM annual salary on Juan Soto's 15-year, $765M deal as the more accurate record holder until tonight.

Tucker's adjusted AAV beats that by more than $6MM.

Kyle Tucker's deal is going to be the latest example for many fans and smaller-market owners who will argue for a salary cap in the upcoming round of collective bargaining negotiations.

This level of spending also reaffirms why the MLB Players Association has steadfastly maintained that a cap is a non-starter.

Next offseason's CBA talks are expected to be similarly or even more contentious than those that froze the sport for 99 days during the 2022-23 lockout.

After missing on Tucker, the Blue Jays seem likely to reengage with Bo Bichette.

Their longtime shortstop is now the top unsigned player. He has reportedly had a productive meeting with the Phillies, but the Blue Jays and Bichette have long expressed mutual interest in a reunion.

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