Dodgers' latest trade may have further justified strong pursuit of Kyle Tucker

The Los Angeles Dodgers, at least by their normal standards, have been strangely quiet thus far this offseason. Sure, they did sign Edwin Diaz and that is a big deal, but the Dodgers had set the standard in previous offseason as the big wheelers and dealers, so it has been a bit odd they have seemingly sat out most of December. However, the dam may be breaking and Monday's minor trade could be the beginning.

While fans may want every move LA makes to be a blockbuster, the roster needs to be prepared for such moves and that means making some minor transactions here and there. One such move did come with 2025 winding down as the Dodgers traded Esteury Ruiz the Marlins in exchange for Adriano Marrero.

Signing Kyle Tucker makes even more sense after Dodgers trade Esteury Ruiz to the Marlins

At first glance, this move looks a bit odd from the Dodgers' perspective. They are sacrificing depth at a position where they don't have much depth to begin with and the return is a very young pitching prospect who just posted a near 4 ERA in the Dominican Summer Leagues and is nowhere close to being ready for the big leagues to help during LA's window of contention.

However, if you think about it, moving Ruiz now feels like a move in preparation for something coming down the pipeline. While there hasn't been a ton of noise around a potential pursuit of Kyle Tucker, LA could certainly use some high quality depth in the outfield and Tucker is about as good as it gets. The Dodgers are obviously not afraid to spend money and the longer Tucker lingers on the open market, the more likely it feels as though the Dodgers could pounce on another opportunity to add a superstar.

There are no guarantees that this is the plan, however. LA may simply like Marrero's potential a lot and don't see a world where Ruiz's unique skill set fits into their plans going forward. After all, it isn't like the Dodgers themselves didn't acquire Ruiz for a song back in April. There is no denying that Ruiz can fly on the basepaths, but the impact of the rest of his offensive game is questionable at best.

For now, move Ruiz at least keeps hope alive that the Dodgers could make a big push for a top name like Tucker as they now have an open spot on the 40-man. As for what LA does with it, we may be finding out very soon.