Kyle Tucker's comment on Dodgers contract will have the haters out in full force

As long as the Los Angeles Dodgers are ending each season with a World Series parade, they aren't going to apologize for how they do business. Major League Baseball appears headed toward a work stoppage once the current CBA expires next offseason, and critics of the Dodgers haven't been shy about pointing the finger at their operation.

The Dodgers' signing of Kyle Tucker is being viewed as confirmation of a work stoppage ahead of the 2027 season, but Tucker isn't here for that talk.

Since he signed with the Dodgers last month, it seems that his approval rating has plummeted.

Tucker was selected to the National League All-Star team during his lone season with the Chicago Cubs last year and earned Silver Slugger honors at the end of the season. Clear confirmation of the talent he has when healthy, but the ending of his tenure in Chicago led to many raising eyebrows about the contract he signed with the Dodgers.

Tucker finished the 2025 season in a prolonged offensive slump. He was still good, posting a wRC+ of 115 during the second half, but there was quite a drop-off from the 145 mark he had during the opening months of the season.

Kyle Tucker sounds unfazed by looming backlash that could lead of a lockout

It's why the naysayers have suggested that Tucker wasn't worth the $240 million contract he signed with the Dodgers for the next four years. Of course, the eye rolls are because the fact that Tucker's deal included a $64 million signing bonus and $30 million in deferred payments. Tucker was asked about the disdain for his deal, and likely made his doubters even more upset with his response.

"It doesn't bother me, it really doesn't," Tucker told USA Today's Bob Nightengale. "I'm sure it would have probably happened in some aspect regardless of where I would have went. But I think with this team, winning the last two years, probably made it bigger."

The doubters would suggest that, had Tucker signed with the Toronto Blue Jays or returned to the Cubs, no one would have batted an eye. It's certainly possible, but at this point, it would have been odd for Tucker to say anything other than he did.

Tucker was widely viewed as the top free agent on the market and had the right to choose whatever deal was in front of him. The contract certainly was creative, but the hate for the Dodgers has led to some unfair criticism of Tucker.

Money or the chance of winning a World Series is at the center of most free-agent decisions. Like it or not, Tucker got both of those things in his contract with the Dodgers.