Dodgers, Kyle Tucker reportedly agree to four-year, $240 million deal
Kyle Tucker celebrates hitting a double during the MLB Tokyo Series game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs at the Tokyo Dome on March 19, 2025 in Japan. Credit: Getty Images/Masterpress
The rich get richer, and the Mets are dealt another blow in an offseason full of them.
Outfielder Kyle Tucker, considered the best free agent on the market this offseason, has agreed to a four-year, $240 million deal with the back-to-back World Series champion Dodgers, according to multiple reports Thursday night. The deal reportedly has opt-outs after the second and third seasons.
The $60 million average annual value is the second-highest in baseball history behind new teammate Shohei Ohtani’s $70 million (excluding any deferrals).
The Mets reportedly made a four-year, $200 million offer to Tucker, who will turn 29 on Saturday. The reigning American League champion Blue Jays were rumored to have offered Tucker a long-term contract. He instead spurned both the generous offer in Flushing and a more permanent home up north for a chance to join the titans residing in Los Angeles.
Mets owner Steve Cohen posted on X just hours before Tucker made his decision Thursday night, writing: “Let me know when you see smoke.” The post led to plenty of speculation from Mets fans hoping Cohen had an inkling that Tucker was signing with the team. Instead, Cohen made another post an hour later to clear the air, writing: “For those who don’t understand the pope election reference, we are waiting for a decision. That’s all I know.”
Well, that waiting will continue for Mets fans, who have seen franchise cornerstone after franchise cornerstone depart and minimal additions who move the needle.
First the Mets traded Brandon Nimmo to Texas. Then Edwin Diaz signed a three-year, $69 million deal with — of course — the Dodgers, exceeding the offer of three years and $66 million with deferrals from the Mets, who were not given an opportunity to counter. A day later, Pete Alonso, the franchise’s home run leader, signed a five-year, $155 million deal with the Orioles. The Mets later traded Jeff McNeil, at that point the franchise’s longest-tenured player, to the Athletics.
The Mets acquired second baseman Marcus Semien in the Nimmo deal and signed former Mariner Jorge Polanco to potentially play first base — a position at which he has played only one MLB pitch. They also brought in former Yankee relievers Devin Williams and Luke Weaver to fortify a Diaz-less back half of the bullpen.
But none of it — especially after last season’s collapse in which the $341 million Mets went from 21 games over .500 on June 12 to missing the playoffs entirely — has been quite enough to quench the fan base’s thirst. President of baseball operations David Stearns has recognized that, and missing out on Tucker does not make things any better.
“I certainly understand that there have been points in this offseason that have been frustrating for our fan base,” he said Tuesday during a lunch with reporters at Citi Field. “We’re not blind to that. I hear it, I recognize it. I hear it from my friends and family at times.”
So where does Stearns go from here?
An obvious decision would be to pivot to Cody Bellinger, the other top free-agent outfielder, who spent last season with the Yankees. The stakes are not quite the same as when the Mets outbid their crosstown rival to sign Juan Soto to a historic 15-year, $765 million contract last offseason, but it would be an important addition that again damages the Yankees. The Mets have a glaring need for an outfielder with Soto, top prospect Carson Benge and Tyrone Taylor as their current options.
They also could make a splash by spending some of the unused Tucker money on an ace pitcher, with former Astros lefty Framber Valdez still available.
Tucker, who spent last season with the Cubs and his first seven with the Astros, owns a career .273/.358/.507 slash line with 147 home runs and 490 RBIs in 769 games. He will join future Hall of Famers Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman among other stars in what looks like one of the best lineups in MLB history.
But while the deep-pocketed Mets still have time to make a splash, what happened Thursday is another reminder that the Dodgers run the National League — and do not seem to be going away anytime soon.
Mets sign international SS Asigen
The Mets officially landed one of the top international prospects in this year’s class.
Shortstop Wandy Asigen, a 16-year-old from the Dominican Republic, signed with the Mets as part of their 2026 international class, the team announced Thursday — the first day of the international signing period. Asigen, who ranks No. 2 on MLB.com’s international prospect rankings, signed for a reported $3.9 million bonus.
It is the second straight season the Mets inked a top Dominican teenager as part of their international class. Last January, they signed shortstop Elian Pena, now 18, for a reported $5 million bonus.
Asigen previously had an agreement with the Yankees but flipped to the Mets in December.
The Mets received $5.44 million in international pool money this year, assigning most of it to Asigen. The team also traded for more international signing bonus pool space Thursday, dealing 20-year-old lefthander Franklin Gomez, who reached High-A Brooklyn last season, to Cleveland.
MLB.com’s scouting report noted that Asigen, listed at 6 feet and 180 pounds, has “arguably the most advanced offensive profile among his class” and a “special lefthanded swing” that has resulted in exit velocities over 110 mph. The report added that Asigen’s arm is “merely average at this stage” but he has the “quick-twitch movements that evaluators look for when projecting a young player’s ability to stick at shortstop.”
Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
