The Los Angeles Dodgers continue to taunt the rest of the baseball world with their financial muscle. Per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Dodgers have signed outfielder Kyle Tucker. It’s a four-year deal worth $240 million per FanSided’s Robert Murray, with opt-outs after 2027 and 2028.
For the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Tucker signing further illustrates the financial gap between them and their hated division rival. The Diamondbacks’ three-game sweep of the Dodgers in the 2023 NLDS serves as one of the crowning moments in franchise history.
However, it also kicked the hornet’s nest, as Los Angeles has spent an exorbitant amount of money in their efforts to build a dynasty. In the following three offseasons, the Dodgers have added these players to contracts of at least nine figures.
- RHP/DH Shohei Ohtani: 10 years, $700 million
- RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto: 12 years, $325 million plus posting fee
- OF Kyle Tucker: four years, $240 million
- LHP Blake Snell: five years, $182 million
- RHP Tyler Glasnow: five years, $136.5 million plus trading Ryan Pepiot and Johnny DeLuca to the Tampa Bay Rays
The Dodgers have wasted no expense this offseason. They already signed closer Edwin Diaz to a three-year, $69 million deal, shattering the previous AAV record for a reliever.
Diamondbacks’ Path to Postseason More Difficult in 2026
The Kyle Tucker signing certainly makes the Dodgers a more formidable opponent, if that was even possible. They’re aiming for the first three-peat in MLB since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees.
With 13 games against Los Angeles on the schedule, it’s a tough draw. Arizona has played the Dodgers tough since 2023, with a 20-19 record. However, the end-of-season results have heavily favored the team from California. The Dodgers have won the last two championships, while the Diamondbacks failed to reach the postseason.
The Dodgers are fielding a superteam of the game’s best players on baseball’s highest payroll. Based on Competitive Balance Tax payrolls, Los Angeles is outspending Arizona by nearly a 2:1 ratio. Cots Contracts has the Dodgers at $346.1 million before the Tucker signing ($60 million AAV) and the Diamondbacks at $209.2 million.
Per the New York Post‘s Jon Heyman, $30 million of Tucker’s contract is deferred. The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal notes that the deferred amount lowers the present-day value to roughly $57 million per year. That pushes the Dodgers’ CBT payroll over $400 million for the second
The division might not be up for grabs, which has been the biggest understatement for Arizona since 2013. BetOnline.Ag set the Dodgers’ over/under for win total at 99.5 on January 6, although they’ve taken it down after Tucker’s signing was reported. The Diamondbacks are currently at 79.5, and that was after trading for Nolan Arenado and signing Taylor Clarke.
Will the Dodgers Spending Lead to a Lockout?
The Dodgers have shattered spending records. They became the first team to field a CBT payroll north of $400 million, per The Associated Press. In total, the Dodgers paid $169.4 million in taxes, more than the payrolls for 12 MLB teams.
That could potentially create a situation that leads to more labor strife. The current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires at the end of the 2026 season. The spending disparagement from the top and bottom teams will certainly be a hot topic in the next negotiations. The difference between the highest (Dodgers) and lowest-spending (Marlins) team was $340 million.
MLB owners tried to institute a salary cap in 1994, but that led to a player’s strike that carried into 1995. It’s unclear if they’ll try again in this round. However, an extended labor dispute could be problematic for both sides. It will be interesting to see what MLB does to address a system that clearly favors big-market clubs like the Dodgers.
Dodgers’ Latest Marquee Signing Makes Diamondbacks’ 2026 Path Tougher