Kyle Tucker’s mega deal highlights how far the Boston Red Sox have drifted from an all-in mentality
Kyle Tucker landing with the Dodgers shouldn’t inspire outrage in Boston - at least not the kind aimed west.
If you’re a Red Sox fan shaking your fist at the Dodgers for “buying everyone,” you’re aiming it in the wrong direction.
The frustration belongs squarely with Fenway Sports Group, not with an organization that continues to operate the way the Red Sox once did:
Aggressively, unapologetically, and with championships as the only acceptable justification.
The Dodgers just won another World Series, becoming the first team in a quarter century to repeat as champions. Their response wasn’t to pat themselves on the back or retreat into financial caution. Instead, they let the market come to them.
And when Kyle Tucker, the consensus top free agent available, was there, they acted.
Tucker agreed to a four-year, $240 million deal that includes opt-outs after the second and third seasons, a rare concession under Andrew Friedman but one the Dodgers have shown a willingness to make for elite talent. They did it with Yoshinobu Yamamoto - another player the Red Sox swung-and-missed on, for those keeping score at home. They did it again here.
The result is a 29-year-old star right fielder joining a lineup that already features Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, Max Muncy and a bevy of others to round-out baseball’s most loaded team…maybe ever?
Apr 13, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker (30) hits a ground rule double against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the eighth inning of the game at Dodger Stadium. (Kiyoshi Mio/Imagn Images)This wasn’t reckless spending. It was calculated dominance.
Yes, the contract includes deferrals.
Yes, the Dodgers are blowing past the highest competitive balance tax threshold, to the point where Tucker’s true annual cost will approach $120 million once penalties are applied.
And yes, they handed out a massive signing bonus to balance the structure.
All of that is true.
But here’s the key point:
The Dodgers didn’t care.
They didn’t care about public perception. They didn’t care about headlines screaming “unsustainable.” They didn’t care about being labeled villains. They cared about staying ahead of the league, and they trusted that winning would justify everything else.
That’s the part Red Sox fans should be angry about.
Not that the Dodgers are “ruining baseball,” but that Boston no longer behaves like a franchise that feels entitled to spend at the very top of the market when the moment demands it.
There was a time not too long ago when the Red Sox didn’t blink at luxury tax penalties if it meant landing the right player. There was a time when elite free agents weren’t framed as “risks,” but as necessities.
Now, those same moments are met with patience, restraint, and explanations.
The Dodgers saw Kyle Tucker as an opportunity to extend their championship window and took it.
The Red Sox, once the standard for big-market aggression, are increasingly spectators in those conversations.
So don’t boo Los Angeles for doing exactly what a powerhouse franchise should do. If you’re angry - and you probably should be - direct it toward the ownership group that decided this mentality no longer fit Boston.
The Dodgers didn’t change. Baseball didn’t change.
The Red Sox did.
Apr 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker (30) doubles during the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. (Kiyoshi Mio/Imagn Images)JOIN THE CONVERSATION:
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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.