The Chicago Cubs entered the 2025 MLB campaign with one of the most loaded rosters in baseball, and it was thanks much in part to their trade for Kyle Tucker the preceding offseason.
The catch? Tucker was an impeding free agent, and he clearly had no intention of signing an extension. The 28-year-old wanted to test the open market, and that is exactly what he is doing right now.
While the Cubs are a big-market franchise with a rich history, they certainly haven’t been operating like one in recent years, which is why just about everyone has assumed that Tucker was a one-and-done in Chicago.
On top of that, Joey Christopoulos of CHGO Sports feels that the Cubs may have ruined any chance they had of retaining Tucker based on the way they handled his calf injury this past season.
What exactly happened between the Chicago Cubs and Kyle Tucker?
May 26, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker (30) hits an RBI sacrifice fly ball during the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
No one really knows for sure what went on between the Cubs and Tucker down the stretch of 2025, when the star outfielder injured his calf and was forced to miss time in September.
Tucker hit the 10-day injured list, but Christopoulous theorizes that Tucker may have wanted to get his calf checked out prior to returning.
“I guarantee you Kyle was like, ‘I want to go to Florida to check out my calf,’” Christopoulous said on the CHGO Cubs podcast. “And the Cubs were like, ‘Hey, can you give us 48 hours to just work with our people?’ And it’s just this back and forth, on and on, and the relationship and the communication got out of whack.”
Christopoulous feels that a lack of trust formed for Tucker as a result of the issue.
“They tried to give it to him, to build this trust, but I think mistrust was grown from this lack of communication,” he added.
Tucker got off to a scintillating start his first few months in Chicago, but a hand fracture he suffered in late June tanked his production the rest of the way. The calf injury late in the season didn’t help, either. The end result was the four-time All-Star posting a modest .266/.377/.464 slash line with 22 home runs and 73 RBI.
Does it really matter anyway?
May 20, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Chicago Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker (30) circles the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
We will probably never know the extent of any damage that may have been caused in the relationship between the Cubs and Tucker, but to be quite frank, it may have never mattered to begin with.
When Chicago acquired Tucker last winter, the general consensus was that he would be a one-year rental for the Cubbies with the hope that he could potentially lead them to a World Series. The Cubs did win 92 games and they did advance to the NLDS, but they fell to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Now, Tucker is available in free agency, and Chicago hasn’t even been mentioned as a potential destination for the former No. 5 overall pick.
The Cubs simply don’t spend that type of money anymore, so Tucker may have been a goner regardless of what transpired during the regular season.
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