One of the Chicago Cubs‘ newest faces, Kyle Tucker, is doing everything right in his first season with the team, except signing an extension.
The three-time All-Star, Gold Glove winner, and perennial 30-homer threat is putting up another monster campaign. Through 46 games, he has 10 home runs, an OPS of .909, and more walks than strikeouts. He’s also swiped 11 bags and driven in 33 runs. On paper, he’s precisely the kind of player a contending team should be locking up.
However, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Tucker still hasn’t entered any serious contract talks with Chicago. The longer this drags on, the more likely the Cubs are to fumble the most significant decision of their season.
Free Agency Is Coming — Fast
Heyman’s latest report calls an in-season extension “highly unlikely,” even though the Cubs are expected to make a formal offer sometime this summer. Tucker told Heyman he’s enjoying Chicago — a good sign — but also made it clear he doesn’t want to talk money just yet.
That’s a dangerous combination for the front office. A happy superstar with options is still a superstar with leverage. And in Tucker’s case, the price tag could be astronomical.
Multiple insiders have speculated he could command a deal between $500 and $600 million this winter. That puts him in Juan Soto territory, and given Tucker’s elite defense, power, and consistency, it’s not an outrageous number. Since the start of 2022, he’s hit 122 home runs and led MLB in RBIs in 2023. He’s 27, entering his prime, and on pace for another All-Star nod.
Tucker is what a $500 million player looks like. And the Cubs might have to decide whether they’re ready to become a $500 million franchise.
Chicago Can Afford Him — But Will They Spend?
That’s the real question.
As Heyman noted during an appearance on 670 The Score, the Cubs are one of the league’s most successful franchises financially, but they have rarely acted like it in free agency. Their most significant modern contracts were Jason Heyward and Dansby Swanson, which were under $200 million.
That won’t get it done this time.
A rival executive told Heyman bluntly: “They’ve got to put the $500 million in front of him. They’re not going to do that. That’s not the Cubs.”
And that’s the problem. If they wait too long, or come in with something like 10 years, $400 million — they’re just inviting the Yankees, Dodgers, Giants, and everyone else to show up this winter and outbid them.
The Bigger Picture: You Don’t Sign Tucker to Rebuild
This issue isn’t just about whether they can sign Tucker. It’s about whether they’re willing to build around him.
If the Cubs make that kind of offer — half a billion dollars — it has to come with the understanding that more spending will follow. Locking up Tucker only makes sense if you’re committed to contending around him. Otherwise, it’s just window dressing on a roster that is still figuring itself out.
With Pete Crow-Armstrong blossoming and Ben Brown flashing upside down on the mound, the core is starting to take shape. But the Cubs must now decide: Is Tucker the centerpiece of the next great Cubs team? Or just a rental who gets flipped or priced out in the offseason?
Clock’s Ticking
Tucker has made it clear he’s comfortable in Chicago. The Cubs love him. He’s productive, popular, and a pillar-caliber piece.
But unless the front office steps up with an aggressive, no-doubt offer — this summer — they risk losing him to a bidding war they probably won’t win.
And if that happens, it won’t just be another free agent slipping away. It’ll be a franchise-altering failure.
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