Dodgers’ Kyle Tucker signing is even worse than Brewer fans imagined

The Milwaukee Brewers clearly put a scare into the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS, huh?

In all seriousness, the Crew's path to avenging that loss became an even steeper mountain to climb following the news that the Los Angeles Dodgers had signed Kyle Tucker to a four-year, $240 million(!!!) contract. Just when you think the Chicago Cubs, the Brewers' biggest threat in the NL Central, are about to be weakened by losing their best player, the Dodgers, the Brewers' biggest threat in the NL as a whole, significantly improve their already unfair juggernaut.

The Brewers, who have an estimated Opening Day payroll of about $130 million in 2026, are now several magnitudes shy of where the Dodgers' investments will land this year.

Could Mark Attanasio spend more money on this team? Of course — the Brewers, by virtue of being a perennial playoff participant alone, bring in plenty of revenue. But, eventually, the disparity in TV revenue simply grows too wide, and while the Dodgers can spend like crazy and still make an overall profit, the Brewers extending their payroll would likely put them in red figures due to their measly TV deal, which isn't even set in stone at the current moment. There is no way baseball can sustain this kind of model (and it won't with a lockout on the horizon).

Oh, and the Cubs somehow benefited from this signing too. Just in case you needed more bad news.

Cubs receiving Top-100 draft pick for losing Kyle Tucker worsens the sting for Brewers fans

The Cubs naturally handed Tucker a qualifying offer on his way out of town, which means, after he declined and signed his record deal, they'll get a 2026 draft pick right after Competitive Balance Round B. That should land around No. 77 overall, depending on what happens with Zac Gallen in free agency. Beyond just the talent available at that slot, getting that pick will also increase the total signing bonus pool they have to work with, giving them plenty of ammunition to take a few high-upside swings early in the draft.

Of course, Cubbies fans surely would have hoped to retain Tucker after just one year — especially since he cost them top prospect Cam Smith and third baseman Isaac Paredes — but this departure seemed set in stone the moment the offseason began. Signing Alex Bregman proved to be Chicago's big expenditure, and his annual salary ($35 million) falls more than $20 million shy of what Tucker will rake in out in Los Angeles.

How the Brewers answer this new arms race in the National League (the New York Mets responded by signing Bo Bichette to a similarly gigantic deal) is anyone's guess. The odds of a Freddy Peralta trade materializing seem to fluctuate on a daily basis, the best free-agent shortstop still available is Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who wouldn't start over Joey Ortiz, and the backup catcher spot behind William Contreras is still unsettled.

It won't be an irrational response from the Brewers' front office, that much you can bet on. But maybe Matt Arnold has another trick up his sleeve.