Fair to say that things have worked out nicely for the Chicago Cubs and their acquisition of outfielder Kyle Tucker, who was brought on from the Astros in a megadeal that saw Chicago give up infielder Isaac Paredes, outfielder Cam Smith and pitcher Hayden Wesneski.
Tucker has delivered in his first season at Wrigley Field, hitting .290 with a .393 on-base percentage and a .530 slugging percentage, knocking 17 homers with 52 RBIs.
The reason the Astros were willing to part with Tucker, though, is that he is careening toward free agency, and given his prowess on the basepaths (21 steals, one CS) and in the outfield (four outfield assists), he is the kind of five-tool player who will draw major interest from the league’s biggest spenders.
The question for the Cubs has never really been whether getting Tucker was a wise move, but whether keeping Tucker will be possible for a franchise that has been frustratingly penurious in recent years.
Cubs Will Have ‘Limits’ on Contract
Just this week, general manager Jed Hoyer addressed the looming topic of Tucker’s future. The Cubs have been outstanding at 51-35, and certainly, a lengthy playoff run would bolster the argument of keeping Tucker, no matter the cost. But cost does matter, and in an MLB environment in which the Dodges can seemingly spend anything they like, and the Yankees might be pressured to do the same, that’s worrying.
“He’s been one of the best players in baseball this year, and he does so many things well, and I think he’s really had a significant impact on this offense,” Hoyer said, via the Sun-Times. “Certainly you want to keep a player like that. You go into the negotiation wanting to keep him. But obviously you realize, at some point you must have your limits. Obviously we’ll keep all those things internal.”
It’s early July and Hoyer is already talking “limits”? Perhaps not a good sign.
Kyle Tucker to Get $44 Million Per Year?
In the wake of the 14-year, $500 million contract signed by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in Toronto at the start of the 2025 season, comparisons immediately fell Tucker’s way. He is certainly in Guerrero’s neighborhood as a player, and if his current level of production keeps up, Tucker will warrant more than Guerrero.
At Spotrac, Tucker is projected to have a market value of $525 million over 12 years, a significantly higher AAV ($43.8 million) than Guerrero ($35.7 million).
Those are scary numbers for the Cubs, and scarier still for Cubs fans who know the team will be extremely reluctant to got hat high for Tucker. As for the player himself, he’s not said much on the subject.
Back in April, referring to Guerrero’s deal, Tucker said, “It’s great for him. I mean, everyone’s a little different. Right now, I’m here to play this year. I’m excited to get out again and play tonight, just kind of see where everything goes after that.”
There was no deadline for a Tucker deal during the season.
“I haven’t thought about it that much,” he said. “I’m just trying to come out here and play. … I’m just here to play baseball. I just let the other stuff fall where it is and see what happens.”
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