Ranger Suárez, the Boston Red Sox's marquee addition this offseason, will make $26 million (on average) over the next five seasons, for a total of $130 million.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, meanwhile, will pay Kyle Tucker about $120 million... for 2026 alone.
In truth, Tucker's annual salary will come in around $57 million when accounting for deferrals, but since Los Angeles has exceeded the final Competitive Balance Tax threshold of $304 million, they'll have to pay a 110% tax on every dollar they spend beyond that amount. Hence, the eye-watering total calculated above.
There's a lot to say about all of this, including the fact that, yes, the Dodgers are probably ruining baseball in some way by simply outspending the means of every other team. Sure, a lot of owners (*loud cough* John Henry) are exceedingly cheap, but it's also becoming increasingly difficult to blame them for, you know, not spending $120 million on one season of Kyle Tucker.
And yet, the craziest part about all of this? The Red Sox are making out like bandits.
Free-agent outfielder Kyle Tucker and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in agreement on a four-year, $240 million contract, according to sources familiar with the deal. It includes an opt out after year two.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) January 16, 2026
Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette whiffs dampen Blue Jays' standing over Red Sox
The Blue Jays, who've had a long history of coming up just short of signing marquee free agents, once again failed to cross the finish line with Tucker. At one point this offseason, they appeared to be the clear favorites to land him; now, Anthony Santander will be left to carry an impossibly large load in their lineup.
In turn, the New York Mets — the other finalist for Tucker — were forced to pivot hard, eventually scooping up Bo Bichette in a three-year deal with a $42 million annual salary. Yet again, the Blue Jays lost a key target, and this time it was a fan favorite in Toronto.
The Red Sox know a little too much about that that last part, but even as fellow pursuers of Bichette, it's incredibly comforting that both he and Tucker eschewed the chance to go to Canada in favor of landing with a National League contender. Though they once appeared to have a stranglehold on the AL East, it's now clear that the Blue Jays haven't done much to separate from their rivals in Boston this offseason.
Key Red Sox additions: Ranger Suárez, Sonny Gray, Johan Oviedo, Willson Contreras
Key Blue Jays additions: Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, Tyler Rogers, Kazuma Okamoto
There's even a case to be made that the Red Sox — whose loss of Bregman has now been offset by Bichette — have gotten better than the Blue Jays, though that may come down to one's long-term view of Cease. Either way, short of actually landing Tucker or Bichette themselves, this saga has played out about as well as the Sox could have hoped.