Kyle Tucker's second-half slump, postseason failures could sour latest Dodgers rumor

On Saturday, Jon Heyman confirmed what everyone already knew: the Dodgers are expected to make a play for free agent outfielder Kyle Tucker this offseason.

The Dodgers were connected to Tucker last year before the Astros traded him to the Cubs, and they were named the "overwhelming favorites" to land him in free agency in early September.

It just makes sense. Tucker will want a lot of money and get a lot of money, and the Dodgers have a lot of money. They're also losing an outfielder in free agency themselves (though "losing" is maybe too sad a word to describe how the Dodgers will feel when Michael Conforto is back on the market), and Teoscar Hernández definitely shouldn't be playing right field.

Tucker is generally expected to receive a contract between $300-400 million this offseason. It's a hefty price, even for the Dodgers, but no one except the Dodgers (and perhaps the Mets) are at such liberty to pay it (if we're to believe how other organizations have acted in recent offseasons).

However, his second half and below-average postseason don't make this prospect seem as rosy as anyone would've expected before this year. If the Dodgers want him, they'll probably get him, but we might have to temper excitement with some caution.

Dodgers unsurprisingly expected to be in the conversation for top free agent Kyle Tucker

Tucker still ended the season with pretty good overall numbers, but that was owing to his characteristically strong first half. After the All-Star break, he hit .231 with a .738 OPS and spent some time on the IL after some strange back-and-forth about whether or not he was actually injured. Cubs fans are now torn on whether or not they want Tucker back at all, even though they were clamoring for their front office to give him an extension by the All-Star break.

But players have down years — Mookie Betts had one this year and no one is calling his contract a wash — and Tucker has six seasons of fantastic play behind him with the Astros.

If anything, the Dodgers are probably happy that his lackluster second half brought his value down a little, so they'll be able to offer him a deal closer to the $300 million side of the scale.

There's no question that he would be an offensive upgrade from Conforto and a defensive upgrade from Hernández. He checks all of the Dodgers' boxes; we just have to hope that he shakes whatever afflicted him at the end of this season if LA is actually looking at him as a potential addition.