Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Brandon Gomes are always keeping their eyes on the baseball world. They especially observe which players are potentially available to join their club.

Well, Friedman and Gomes knew that free agent outfielder Kyle Tucker was still on the board. They also had been pegging Tucker's name to their list of potential new additions to the 2026 team.

All the stars aligned in the right way on Thursday, when the Dodgers signed Tucker to a four-year, $240 million contract. Los Angeles worked with Tucker's representative at Excel Sports Management to get the deal done.

A point that should be brought up about Tucker's signing with the Dodgers is that Los Angeles didn't want to give Tucker a long-term contract at all. 

Katie Woo of The Athletic offered some insights on this point in a new article on Friday.

"What was more compelling was the organization’s ability to sign Tucker on a deal on their preferred terms," Woo wrote. "Los Angeles coveted the four-time All-Star all winter but would not entertain a long-term megadeal that most industry pundits expected for Tucker.

"But the Dodgers were certainly open to landing him on a shorter contract and were willing to boost the annual average value," Woo wrote.

Woo also indicated that the Dodgers had been eyeing Tucker even at the MLB Winter Meetings, which were held in December 2025 in Orlando, Fla.

"The Dodgers were unsure what his market would be, but confident that they’d be suitors if the outfielder proved willing to take a three- to four-year deal, rather than a six- or seven-year contract," Woo wrote.

The Dodgers ended up just giving Tucker that four-year contract. He's going to join a ballclub that has been looking for a boost in the outfield. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts probably has that lineup card sitting before him right now, sharpening up that pencil and finding a spot for Tucker in it.

A couple of media outlets, including The Athletic, have posted mock lineups even now, putting Tucker in the No. 5 spot. That'd be pretty good as Roberts could have some big-time hitters try and get on base before Tucker reaches the batter's box.

But Los Angeles, no matter where Tucker falls on a lineup card, is going to bring his left-handed power stroke to Dodger Stadium. 

One thing to keep watch on regarding Tucker is his health. He's not played a lot of seasons totaling 120-plus games. With him being prone to injury, Tucker has, for the most part, played seasons between 75-90 games.

If King Tuck can stay healthy, though, don't be surprised if the Dodgers are right back in the World Series for a third consecutive season.

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