Kyle Tucker to the Dodgers: A Gut Punch for Giants Fans, But Not the End of the World
There’s no sugarcoating it-Dodgers fans are celebrating, and Giants fans are fuming. Los Angeles just added another All-Star to their already loaded roster, handing Kyle Tucker the biggest contract in baseball to make him their new right fielder. It’s a move that feels like the rich getting richer, and for fans in San Francisco and beyond, it’s hard not to feel like the competitive balance of the sport is tilting even further out of whack.
But before Giants fans throw in the towel on 2026, there are some important things to unpack here. Yes, the Dodgers just made a major splash.
Yes, it stings. But no, it doesn’t mean the season is over before it begins.
Tucker Chose the Bag - Can You Really Blame Him?
Some fans are directing their frustration toward Kyle Tucker himself, calling him a sellout for joining a superteam when he reportedly had other hefty offers on the table. But let’s be real: if someone offered you $60 million a year to do what you love, would you turn it down because the team was already stacked? Probably not.
Tucker didn’t break baseball. He just took the best deal on the table-and in today’s game, that’s not exactly a crime.
He’s a premier talent, and now he’s getting paid like one. That doesn’t make him a villain.
It makes him a professional athlete in a system that rewards stars who want to win and get paid doing it.
The System Is Broken - And This Signing Highlights It
What Tucker’s deal really does is shine a floodlight on how baseball’s economic structure is due for a serious overhaul. The Dodgers have become the poster child for big-market dominance, and their ability to stack stars year after year is starting to look like a glitch in the matrix.
From salary caps and floors to revenue sharing and TV deals, the league has some tough questions to answer in the next collective bargaining agreement. The Dodgers’ spending spree will no doubt be Exhibit A in those negotiations.
Whether you’re a Giants fan, a Pirates fan, or just someone who wants to see more parity in the sport, this moment could be a turning point. Change often comes when the imbalance becomes too obvious to ignore-and right now, it’s impossible to miss.
Focus on the Giants, Not the Dodgers
Let’s be honest: Kyle Tucker was never coming to San Francisco. The Giants weren’t in that race, and pretending otherwise only adds to the frustration. The front office has its own issues to address-namely, a lack of aggressive moves this offseason-but that’s a separate conversation from what the Dodgers are doing.
The Giants still have time to make meaningful upgrades. A frontline starter, a middle infield bat like Brendan Donovan or Nico Hoerner, a solid outfield piece, more bullpen depth-these are realistic, attainable improvements that don’t require breaking the bank.
The Dodgers landing Tucker doesn’t change what the Giants need to do. It just raises the stakes.
The Goal Isn’t Beating the Dodgers-It’s Making the Playoffs
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking the Giants have to match the Dodgers move for move. But that’s not how the modern MLB schedule works. With a more balanced slate, the Giants don’t need to win 100+ games or take the division to make a run in October.
The real target? Around 90 wins.
Maybe even 84, like last year. That’s enough to get into the dance-and once you’re in, anything can happen.
We’ve seen it time and time again. The best team on paper doesn’t always win.
The hottest team does.
Look back at the Giants’ title runs in 2010, 2012, and 2014. Those teams weren’t juggernauts.
They were gritty, well-constructed rosters that got hot at the right time. They had their stars, sure, but they also had role players who stepped up when it mattered most.
That’s still the formula. And it still works.
Take a Breath, Giants Fans
The Dodgers are easy to hate. That’s part of the rivalry.
It’s in the DNA of Giants fandom. But while it’s tempting to let this latest blockbuster signing send you into full despair mode, it’s worth stepping back and taking a broader view.
Yes, the Dodgers just got better. But the Giants’ season won’t be defined by what happens in L.A. It’ll be defined by what happens in San Francisco-by the moves the front office makes in the coming weeks, by how the roster comes together, and by whether this team can find its identity and ride it into October.
There’s still time. There’s still opportunity. And as history has shown us, there’s always a chance-no matter how big the Death Star looks on paper.