The Chicago Cubs trading for Houston Astros star right fielder Kyle Tucker provided a shot of adrenaline to a Cubs team– and its fandom– that hasn’t seen postseason play since the abbreviated 2020 season.
Chicago gave up a lot to get the multi-tool three-time all-star. But it was a move in line with the front office’s stated goal of being “all in” when it comes to making the playoffs this year.
The 28-year-old Tucker, as one of baseball’s most consistent high-end performers, WILL do his thing. That’s not a question. The question Cubs fans ask is whether Chicago will be able to keep him beyond 2025, when he becomes a free agent.
Will The Chicago Cubs Extend Kyle Tucker?
In an interview with Spiegel & Holmes on 670 The Score, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer was asked how fans and media would know if the team would be in a position to offer Tucker a competitive deal that keeps him in Chicago.
“You won’t know,” Hoyer dead-panned.
“Listen, I think obviously you trade for a player like Kyle…Is there a desire for a long relationship with that, yeah, absolutely,” Hoyer added. “He’s the kind of player you want to keep for a long time, but I sort of feel like, you know, this is part of a process, right? This is his first taste of what the Cubs are all about, it’s pretty great. But, you know, playing some games in Wrigley in the middle of summer in front of those fans, I think that’s the kind of thing that that makes a huge difference.
“I like to think I’m a pretty good salesman, but I’m not even close to as good a salesman as Wrigley Field and Chicago in the summer and those things and I think that stuff has a tendency to make a big impact.”
The Cubs Are Healthy Enough To Make A Deal
Earlier in the interview, the Cubs exec would assert that the organization is in phenomenal health, which– reading between the lines– would mean that they could make an investment in a player as rock-solid stable as Tucker.
“Where we are as an organization, from talent to prospects to clean books…We’re in a great position and now it’s time to go forward and hopefully win a lot,” Hoyer said.
Tucker Speaks
Tucker, who is in attendance at the Cubs Convention, is getting to know Chicago’s fans and, also, letting the fans know where his mindset is at, as someone who’s played in the postseason the last six years and has three World Series appearances in that run.
“Our team should have high expectations,” Tucker said. “We’re a phenomenal organization with some really good players. So our goal going into the year– we should expect to make the playoffs and make a run at the World Series. I don’t think you should go into a season not expecting that.
“That’s my goal, and I know it’s a lot of guys’ goals. It starts now.”
All of that, from both Tucker and Hoyer, is encouraging. However, they ARE at the Cubs Convention, where positivity reigns supreme and realism takes a back seat to cheerleading.
The real story will begin to play out at the end of the season as numbers are tossed about and both sides must make some tough decisions about what’s in their own best interest.
For now, everyone should just sit back and enjoy what Tucker brings to the Cubs.
The Chicago Cubs are reportedly a top contender to sign a closer who had a stellar 1.75 ERA last year
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