The Chicago Cubs are in a bad way. It’s really making one reconsider a lot when it come to where this team is headed, specifically when it comes to offseason strategies like extending right fielder Kyle Tucker. But we’ll get to that in a bit.
The Cubs are now 6 games behind the red hot Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central Division after a tough loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. They’re also, now, just one-and-a-half games ahead of the San Diego Padres in the top Wild Card slot.
And despite a pitching staff that has significant question marks, the culprit for the Cubs’ decline in recent weeks (months, actually), is the offense.
The once-elite Cubs offense has sputtered, stalled, and, at times, totally flat-lined of late and the hitting doldrums don’t seem to be going away. On Sunday, for instance, the lineup’s front five– Michael Busch, Seiya Suzuki, Kyle Tucker, Carson Kelly, and Pete Crow-Armstrong were a combined 3-for-17, with no home runs and no RBIs.
Kyle Tucker and the dead Chicago Cubs offense
The biggest load of frustration during this extended offensive dry spell falls right at the feet of Tucker, the four-time All-Star and projected linchpin for the team’s revamped offense.
In short, the man has been feeble at the plate since the beginning of July, looking more like a very competent fourth outfielder than the advertised Cubs savior. This is the man whose one year of service prior to free agent eligibility was deemed worthy of three significant Cubs assets in the team’s offseason trade with the Houston Astros.
Coming into Monday’s game, Tucker is hitting .215 since July 1, with just one home run and 10 RBIs. He has just one RBI in all of August so far.
And, seriously, this is the guy that has fans and pundits biting their nails and having fits of anxiety over extending?
Avoiding buyer’s remorse
Designated as the top position player in the free agency class of 2026, Tucker’s been tied to deals in the neighborhood of $400-$500 million over 10 years. Teams such as the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Boston Red Sox have been listed as potential suitors.
Right now, though, you have to wonder whether it’s wise to invest so much money for such a long period of time in this man.
That’s certainly music to the ears of the Cubs’ frugal ownership, which would gladly NOT spend that kind of money.
In this particular case, though, common baseball sense may align with the Ricketts family’s penny-pinching ways and Cubs president Jed Hoyer’s bargain bin mentality.
For awhile, Tucker did seem to be the remedy to a projected unsteady Cubs offense, an anchor of consistency surrounded by young talent and veterans prone to cold spells. With Tucker currently colder than anybody else, however, the lineup is deader than dead.
Frustration bubbling over
Sam Olbur of the Locked on Cubs podcast expressed the frustration perfectly:
“Kyle Tucker having one home run in the last 35 games, or whatever it is, has completely wrecked this offense. It’s wrecked it…It’s wrecked it! And he’s gonna ask for $500 million? Enough already!
He has one home run in 30+ games. He’s supposed to be the guy that keeps you above water when everybody else is struggling.”
Adding to the frustration is the constant assurance from Cubs coaching and from the front office that all is well and that everything will be okay, when things are most definitely NOT well and everything is looking like it WON’T be okay. How often do fans have to hear that Tucker and the team are hitting the ball well and that everyone’s just having some collective bad luck…as the Brewers continue to find ways to win?
For the money they’d have to cough up to extend Tucker, they could make a play for former Cub Kyle Schwarber as a free agent, bring him back as a DH and also pick up a front-of-rotation starter, with maybe some change left over. Suzuki could be moved back to right field, where he’s happiest. They could also bring up Owen Caissie and Kevin Alcantara to give them a shot.
At some point, the Cubs have to assess what’s working for them and what’s not. What else can you do but move on from someone who’s been great elsewhere, but not so great for you?
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