How Dodgers' Deferred Payments on $2B Payroll Work After Kyle Tucker's Rumored $240M Contract

The Los Angeles Dodgers added to their deferred payments this week after signing Kyle Tucker to a four-year, $240 million deal that includes a pair of opt-outs (after the second and third season) and $30 million in deferred money.

That now brings the team's total guaranteed salary obligations to over $2 billion.

The Dodgers will defer $10 million from each of Tucker's final three seasons, while they also paid him a staggering $64 million in a signing bonus ($54 million of it upfront):

Here's a breakdown of the Dodgers' total deferred obligations, per ESPN:

• Shohei Ohtani: $680 million (paid out between 2034-43)
• Mookie Betts: $115 million in salaries (2033-44), $5 million of his signing bonus (2033-35)
• Blake Snell: $66 million (2035-46)
• Freddie Freeman: $57 million (2028-40)
• Will Smith: $50 million (2034-43)
• Teoscar Hernández: $32 million (2030-39)
• Tucker: $30 million (payout timeline unclear)
• Tommy Edman: $25 million (2037-44)
• Tanner Scott: $21 million (2035-46)
• Edwin Díaz: $13.5 million (2036-47)

While some MLB teams have dipped their toes into the deferred payout waters, the Dodgers are scuba-diving in the depths at this point. It's a calculated gamble.

For one, the team's popularity has grown in the Asian market with the additions of players like Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki. Ohtani's signing alone provided a merchandising boon that no other team could boast:

The Dodgers also have a massive television deal and are banking on their own profits continuing to rise, allowing them to more easily absorb the future costs they owe.

But here's how completely out of whack the sport's spending discrepancy is: The Dodgers are scheduled to pay more in tax penalties in 2026 ($161.9 million) than 12 clubs will pay in total payroll obligations.

And that isn't just an indictment on the Dodgers' seemingly unlimited pockets. It's also a glaring indictment on how the bottom teams in the sport absolutely refuse to field a competitive payroll. For all of the talk about owners wanting a salary cap, what the sport arguably needs far more is a salary floor.

Tucker's deal has made the 2026 season feel like a foregone conclusion already. The Dodgers are two-time defending champions and just added the biggest free agent on the market. But don't just blame them—keep some of that energy for all of the owners who refuse to spend as well.