Everyone knew the Los Angeles Dodgers paid more to sign Kyle Tucker than anyone else in MLB was willing to pay.
Even still, it seemed like the deal would be a good one for the back-to-back World Series champs. Tucker has been a multi-tool outfielder for his entire career, and now he’d be joined a stacked lineup that would, if anything, take some pressure off of him.
It sure seemed like a no-brainer for everyone involved.
Somehow, though, it has been a disaster. The Dodgers are still great, of course, but Tucker hasn’t contributed to that.
And so in an article earlier this week, ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle summarized the disappointing signings of Tucker and closer Edwin Diaz in a single word:
“Ouch.”
Yeah, that about sums it up.
Kyle Tucker Stats
Through Sept. 15, Tucker has played 143 games for the Dodgers. You’ve got to give him credit for showing up every day and trying to break out of a funk that seems never-ending.
For the season, he has batted just .226, though.
Tucker has slugged OK, at least, with 21 doubles, four triples and 15 home runs to give him a .701 OPS.
He also has stolen 11 bases without getting caught.
The problem is that Tucker signed a deal worth $60 million per year, and he’s on pace for by far the lowest OPS of his career outside of a 28-game debut stint in 2018.
“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. Together, Tucker and Diaz are at minus-1.0 bWAR for their Dodgers debuts while earning a combined $47 million. Ouch.”
Tucker has homered twice in the last five games for the Dodgers, dating back to Sept. 11, so maybe it’s a sign that he’s heating up at just the right time.
It sure would be ironic if Tucker just coasted through a disappointing season but then stepped up in time to help them win the World Series again.
Edwin Diaz Stats
Diaz has dealt with injuries most of the season and is currently on the 15-day IL, but even when conceptually healthy, he’s been rough.
In 16 outings, Diaz has an 11.86 ERA. He’s allowed 18 runs (including three homers) in 13.1 innings. Diaz has also walked 10 guys, and while he’s struck out 19, the punchouts haven’t been enough to overcome the other issues.
At this point, it’s not clear whether Diaz can be any kind of help down the stretch and into October.
The Dodgers rolled last postseason with a bullpen that relied on starting pitchers for the most part, and that may have to be the case again.
Dodgers’ Kyle Tucker Signing Summed Up In 1 Painful Word