Dodgers still have this argument to sell Kyle Tucker on as Mets get aggressive

On Tuesday, FanSided insider Robert Murray reported that the Mets had offered Kyle Tucker a short-term deal worth $50 million a year, absolutely crashing through the earlier-reported $40-45 million estimates.

Things have moved quickly in his market since, with Mike Puma of the New York Post reporting on Wednesday that the Mets expect to hear back about a decision soon (even though they have no idea which way he's leaning).

If the Mets' offer only goes up to three years, as widely speculated, Tucker could be inclined to turn it down or come back with a counter, but $50 million is a staggering number that would make him the second-highest Mets player in 2026 behind Juan Soto (and only by $1 million). It'd be hard to blame him for taking a payout like that.

The Dodgers are almost certainly monitoring this Tucker-Mets situation closely and they won't be able to do much if he says yes. But if they're scrambling to up their offer and continue to persuade him over to LA, Dodgers insider Katie Woo identified a point that could be pretty enticing to Tucker: he wouldn't have to be The Guy in LA.

Dodgers could still persuade Kyle Tucker to chose LA over Mets with this argument

Joel Sherman of the New York Post kicked up a firestorm when he said that there were concerns about Tucker's commitment to the game — specifically, Sherman questioned whether or not he "burned to play." There have also been suggestions that he wouldn't operate very well in a big-market team.

If he does go to the Mets, Tucker can certainly hide behind Soto and Francisco Lindor, but the New York media landscape is still far colder and more unforgiving than LA's. And if we want to compare star power, the Dodgers have three MVPs. It's kind of their whole thing.

It's not that Tucker would fade into the background in LA, but Shohei Ohtani's star power outshines every single one of his teammates', and Tucker would be no exception. In the Dodgers, he would be playing for perennial World Series contenders for a whole lot of money, and he'd be able to keep his head down while doing it.

The Dodgers' baseline argument is a very simple one, summed up thusly: "We're the Dodgers." The Mets had to throw $50 million at him and probably lay out a whole argument as to why they won't be the historical losers they've always be in 2026.

Again, $50 million would be hard for anybody to pass up. There are no hard feelings if Tucker takes that deal. But the Dodgers can still offer up something comparable while selling him on a quieter, breezier California future.