For any MLB club that eventually signs free agent outfielder Kyle Tucker, the final tally in dollars will be a big hit on the team's overall salary numbers.

Tucker is looking for a big-money, long-term contract from his next team. Some team like the Los Angeles Dodgers, for instance, is going to have to fork over big bucks.

Yet any deal done by a team like the Dodgers will face issues around the luxury tax. A new article from Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic points out the issues specifically.

"Any team that exceeds the base luxury-tax threshold for three or more consecutive years pays a 50 percent penalty for every dollar it goes above," according to the article. "Any team that exceeds the base threshold by $60 million or more pays an additional 60 percent surcharge.

"The Los Angeles Dodgers qualify on both counts, so their penalty for signing Tucker or any of the other remaining free agents would be 110 percent," Rosenthal and Sammon report. "At a $40 million AAV, Tucker would cost them $84 million. At a $35 million AAV, the number would be a mere $73.5 million.

"Not that the Dodgers necessarily care – they paid a record $169.4 million in tax after winning their second straight World Series title," the article points out. "Their signing of free-agent closer Edwin Díaz, whose AAV after deferrals is $21.1 million, will cost them $44.3 million annually."

Tucker's new contract, according to Rosenthal and Sammon, could eventually carry an average annual value of $40 million. 

So, just how much are the Dodgers willing to put forward to sign a guy like Tucker? Who knows. Yet they have a lot of money on hand. It does beg the question, though: When is it too much for Los Angeles to pay to a free agent? Is there a cap for the franchise's ownership?

Last season, Tucker had a so-so season with the Chicago Cubs. At times, Tucker showed he had both excellent bat speed and stellar defense in the outfield. But he missed some time due to injury. Apparently, after just one season on the North Side of Chicago, Tucker wanted to test the free-agent market.

He, along with his former teammate, third baseman Alex Bregman, are still on the market. The same can be said for Bo Bichette, too.

Dodgers fans should closely watch just what happens with Tucker and see if the franchise actually gives Tucker what he's looking for financially.

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