He did it again. Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman pulled off the single biggest get of the off-season on Thursday when it was being widely reported that the Dodgers had signed 29-year-old (tomorrow) right fielder Kyle Tucker to a four-year deal that rivals that of his now new teammate Shohei Ohtani. This from Tucker himself on Instagram:
Although there has been no official confirmation of the deal from the Dodgers as of this writing, news – and money – of this magnitude involving MLB’s top free agent puts it well beyond just the rumor stage.
(Rick Scuteri)
Another question is, what does this mean for 33-year-old Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández? Although Teo had his occasional moments in the sun in 2025, he finished the regular season slashing a mediocre .247/.284/.454 while striking out in 134 of his 511 official at-bats (26.22%). That said, he did slug 25 home runs and drive in 89 runs, third-most on the team in both categories. This most definitely puts him on the radar of teams looking to add a right-handed power bat in 2026.
(Lee Jin-man).
Stay tuned on the Teo front.
Play Ball!
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Jesse Pearce
January 16, 2026 at 8:01 am
It will not surprise for the Dodgers to trade Teoscar for several prospects, then sign Harrison Bader to a two year deal. My only concern with trading Teoscar is the potential impact to the performance of Andy Pages. It is obvious that Teoscar is more than a mentor to the young Pages, there appears to be a very close, personal relationship.
OhioDodger
January 16, 2026 at 8:52 am
WOW!! Did not see this coming. Looks like we have fixed the outfield, our biggest problem. Now we just need to stay healthy. Or get healthy in the case of Edman.
I think they will keep Teo. They need his righty bat to balance the lineup.
Stevenbendodger
January 16, 2026 at 9:15 am
Shocked by the numbers. But, Guggenheim paid 2 billion for the Dodgers probably worth 7 billion. Not bad for 13 year investment.
There might be a Cap coming. Say 280. However team like Dodgers
Would have to get 8 yrs to comply. However to balance things out
There would have to be a minimum payroll established. Again teams would get years to gradually get into compliance.
What about the loss of the luxury tax revenue that’s shared with the low payroll teams??? It’s a complex issue.
Ron Cervenka
January 16, 2026 at 9:24 am
I can only imagine what a Dodger Dog is going to cost now.
OhioDodger
January 16, 2026 at 11:35 am
They definitely need a salary floor before they need a ceiling. The cheapo owners should be mandated to spend all of the revenue sharing money they receive.
Jesse Pearce
January 16, 2026 at 12:54 pm
I don’t think the Dodgers are done retooling the roster. I expect a couple of trades; perhaps another free agent signing.
Stevenbendodger
January 16, 2026 at 2:19 pm
JP. Who do you think they could target.
Jesse Pearce
January 16, 2026 at 3:38 pm
I think they will try to trade for LH’er Mackenzie Gore (Nationals) to give them 2 LH starters. I think Anthony Banda is a trade chip as he is out of minor league options and the team has Scott, Vesia, Dreyer, and Wrobleski in the bullpen.
Dan in Pasadena
January 16, 2026 at 1:33 pm
I believe AF& BG are VERY aware of the age issue of their roster and that issue figures very largely in their long term planning. You can be absolutely certain note have multiple longer term plans that include contingencies for injury, rapid age declines etc.
That’s why they will undoubtedly be watching Rushing and Ward VERY closely in Spring as they play the outfield and AB’s. They will be equally as concerned over Josue dePaula, Zhyir Hope and Mike Sirota’s Spring performances. They can’t expect all three to emerge as solid big leaguers; which to trade for more prospects?
Last, yes the roster is VERY strong but it guarantees nothing. It’s never been harder to get to the playoffs, advance and get to the World Series. Winning it all is extremely difficult. Winning two? Crazy. Winning 3? Truly impossible but it’s what we all hope for.
Jesse Pearce
January 16, 2026 at 3:35 pm
I think we will see a lot of Alex Freeland playing third base and second base this spring along with Kim (infield and outfield) and OF’er/first baseman James Tibbs III who is the closest to being ready of the Dodgers top OF prospects.
Stevenbendodger
January 20, 2026 at 9:54 am
Did any of you guys read They Bled Blue
By Jason Turbos. It’s about the 81 Dodgers.
Great read.
Observations-
1-let Baker Cey and Garvey go way too soon.
Cey and Garvey had great yrs left in them.
When Lopes was released we had a formidable replacement in Sax.