The Chicago Cubs, for almost the entirety of the regular season, were said to have a Kyle Tucker dilemma ahead. Now, as the regular season becomes an increasingly distant memory, there seems to be no dilemma at all– they’re clearly NOT interested in re-signing Tucker.
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The All-Star right fielder was brought over the previous offseason in a three-for-one trade with the Houston Astros that sent away the Cubs’ no. 1 draft pick Cam Smith, as well as third baseman Isaac Paredes and pitcher Heyden Wesneski. The problem was that Tucker was in the last year of his contract and would become a free agent at the end of the 2025 season.
An ongoing point of discussion all year centered around whether the Cubs could re-sign the multi-tool star and if the frugal Cubs ownership would be willing to pay the kind of price he would surely command.
Skepticism proven correct?
Jan 12, 2024; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer talks to the media after introducing pitcher Shota Imanaga (not pictured) during a press conference at Loews Chicago Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
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All along, though, there had to be a hefty dose of skepticism regarding a Cubs and Tucker long-term marriage. Cubs president Jed Hoyer’s declaration that Tucker may decide to stay in Chicago after falling in love with Wrigley Field and the fans was equal parts amusing and, perhaps, a confession that the Cubs would probably not be meeting his free agent asking price (estimated to be in the neighborhood of $400 million over 10 years).
In the present tense, there’s hardly a peep about the Cubs even trying to have serious discussions with Tucker’s people about coming back. As a matter of fact, Hoyer is flat-out saying that the focus this winter will be pitchers, not position players.
Some analysts and insiders feel that the Cubs were never really serious about Tucker in the long-term. They make the case that Hoyer and company brought him aboard for this year only, as a way to make a serious push for a playoff berth in 2025. After that, they’d see what someone like prospect Owen Caissie could do in right field.
“No,” ESPN MLB insider Jesse Rogers wrote on Twitter/X, responding to a question back in early October about whether the Cubs would re-sign the right fielder. “They were never going to. Anyone that said different was wrong.”
Kyle Tucker as a temporary fix
MLB: Chicago Cubs at San Diego Padres
Apr 15, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; Chicago Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker (30) hits a single during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
Acquiring Tucker, according to Rogers, was a temporary fix for a 2025 postseason run, only.
In that sense, though, the Cubs’ plan worked as they, indeed, made the playoffs for the first time since 2020 and won their first playoff games since 2017.
Along the way, however, it became painfully clear just how much the Cubs depended on the output of Tucker to get to a position where they could make a postseason run. When he excelled, the Cubs offense excelled. When he struggled, the Cubs offense flat-lined.
“When we were at our best, he was at his best,” Hoyer told reporters at the recent GM meetings in Las Vegas. “We had a great offense in the first half of the season. Kyle was leading the charge. That wasn’t an accident. As he struggled, we struggled a little bit. That’s the nature of it. We have a great player that’s getting on base at a great clip and driving in runs. It makes a huge difference. That’s something that we’ve noted.”
The Chicago Cubs, devoted to being just good enough?
Chicago Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts (R) smiles next to Chicago Cubs President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer (L) before a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Now, the Cubs seem to have moved on from Tucker without ever acknowledging that they’ve moved on. Not a word is mentioned, not a rumor is floated to media. Fans and media, meanwhile, are going on with their business as if it’s taken for granted that Tucker will be playing elsewhere for the next decade or so.
It all makes you wonder if everyone just sort of wasted their energy all year kidding themselves that, this time, the Cubs would spend like a major market team– even if the goal was simply to protect a cornerstone asset.
It also makes you wonder, after trading away a star of the future in Smith for a stopgap asset, just how interested the owners and the front office are in being anything better than just somewhat competitive over the long haul.
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