When the Chicago Cubs acquired Kyle Tucker in a blockbuster trade with the Houston Astros last winter, the general expectation was that it would probably be a one-year stay for Tucker in the Windy City.
Ultimately, it was, as Tucker just signed a four-year, $240 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Cubs never appeared to be under any type of serious consideration to re-sign the four-time All-Star.
That Chicago was not willing to spend $60 million annually on a player was not surprising. But why were the Cubs, who play in one of the largest markets in baseball, not even a remote threat to retain their best player?
Well, perhaps things were never quite simpatico between Tucker and Chicago, which the Cubbies may have made fairly clear by omitting Tucker from their 2025 highlight reel at Cubs Convention. But what exactly happened to potentially cause Tucker’s relationship with Chicago to sour?
Did Kyle Tucker have a beef with the Chicago Cubs?
Jun 27, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker (30) bats in the sixth inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images
We’ve actually heard this multiple times this winter.
First, Joey Christopoulos of CHGO Sports insinuated that Tucker may have had an issue with the Cubs stemming from the way they handled his calf injury late in the year, claiming that “mistrust” may have formed between Tucker and Chicago brass.
Then, on Friday, Matt Spiegel of 670 The Score revealed that Tucker didn’t have a very strong bond with the Cubs and that he never really felt attached to the team.
Maybe Tucker just never really wanted to be in Chi-Town to begin with. Or perhaps the Cubs did something to cause the relationship to deteriorate. Whatever the case may be, Tucker clearly had no interest in returning to Chicago, and he went as far to join one of the club’s top rivals in the National League.
The Cubs certainly did not come up empty-handed this winter, swinging a trade for Edward Cabrera and signing Alex Bregman. But things obviously would have looked a heck of a lot nicer if they would have been able to re-sign Tucker, as well.
But evidently, they never had much of a chance to do so.
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