Insider suggests Kyle Tucker could turn into another Juan Soto situation for Dodgers

When the season ended, MLB insiders wasted no time at all naming the Dodgers the most obvious destination for free agent Kyle Tucker, who is in a league of his own at the top of this year's class. Contract projections for him are a little all over the place, but it's safe to assume he'll make north of $400 million with whoever he plays for next.

There are teams that could give him that much money, but the Dodgers are just the most obvious. And they have a gap in left field that they could use internal options to fill, but which will most likely be occupied by another star next spring.

The Dodgers always go after the top guy, even if they don't actually need him. They got Shohei Ohtani and they made a play at Juan Soto last offseason, though their interest was more dispassionate than the Mets'. LA reportedly offered $600 million, but were understandably unwilling to give him the $765 million he ultimately made.

According to Bob Nightengale, their interest in Tucker might veer more toward Soto territory than Ohtani; a nice-to-have instead of a must-have. "The Los Angeles Dodgers, with $87 million coming off the books, will keep folks honest in the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes, but probably won't be the high bidders," Nightengale speculated this week. ESPN's Jeff Passan echoed the same thought, writing bluntly, "The Dodgers are not inclined to go 10-plus years on Kyle Tucker."

Bob Nightengale downplays Dodgers' interest in top free agent Kyle Tucker despite early reports

The Dodgers are also expected to renew their chase of Steven Kwan, who eluded them at the trade deadline this season. 2026 is only Kwan's first year of arbitration eligibility, so he'll be much cheaper for a longer amount of time.

Then there are the internal options. Ryan Ward was added to the 40-man roster last week, and the more pressing issue is figuring out where Dalton Rushing will get more opportunities, since the Dodgers seem dead-set on keeping him. Rushing can play anywhere from catcher to first base to left field, but he's stuck behind Will Smith at catcher. The Dodgers have also discussed giving Freddie Freeman more regular days off at first to free up at-bats, but a totally open left field would be the clearest avenue.

We're still in the very early-goings, and it wouldn't be surprising if Tucker doesn't come off the board during this calendar year. The Dodgers are keeping all of their options open, but it might be for the best if Nightengale's reporting does turn out to be true. LA already has a lot of players they want to try to fit onto a roster with very limited availability as it is.