Kyle Tucker’s stellar play to begin 2025 could be pricing him out of the range of the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs traded key prospects, including Cam Smith, to the Houston Astros for Tucker to play on the final year of his contract.
Tucker is batting .320/.420/.650 with seven home runs and 25 RBI. He’s been a significant reason why the Cubs are 15-10 and a 1.5-game lead on the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central despite playing a grueling schedule against likely postseason contenders such as the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Chicago Cubs want to keep Kyle Tucker long term
During an appearance on 670 The Score Wednesday, president Jed Hoyer argued that it was “hard” for the Cubs to negotiate in-season.
“Obviously, we’d love to keep Kyle long term,” Hoyer said via Audacy.com. “Who wouldn’t want a player like that? I would keep any conversations we’re having internal. It’s hard to negotiate in-season. I’m not sure what’s going to happen with that. If we do have those conversations, we’ll keep them internal. But like I said, he’s really fun to watch.
“I think he has a huge impact on our entire team, on our entire offense. He’s a player that any team would want to have in the lineup.”
Being in-season didn’t stop the Toronto Blue Jays from giving Vladimir Guerrero Jr. a 14-year deal worth $500 million this month.
Jed Hoyer wants Tucker to stay for sentimental reasons
Money is expected to be an obstacle to keeping Tucker. Hoyer suggested that the Cubs hope that Tucker signs for sentimental reasons instead of monetary ones.
“The single best recruiting tool that the Cubs have is last night,” Hoyer said. “It’s this is a really special place to play. It’s an incredible city. It’s an even better city in the summer. Listen, he’s not going to have a shortage of suitors.
“My hope is Wrigley and Chicago become really special to him and he realizes there’s not a better place to play in baseball.”
The Cubs have been adamant that they want to extend Tucker as long as his paycheck doesn’t come at the expense of what Chicago can field around him.
Given Pete Crow Armstrong’s unwillingness to take a deal and the team’s troubles with rookies at third base, that could be a problem that sends Tucker to another suitor.
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5 Comments
Pure and complete (redacted). This is a major market team. They should be able to compete with other major markets. Anything otherwise is a lie.
Ricketts and his investor group should loosen purse strings. Several players are here for 27 and beyond. Think about the additional revenue generated from playoff games this year and beyond. More revenue from merchandising and higher ad revenue ue comes from winning,not being madicore
Complete BS big market team Cubs have an extremely successful marketing system their own network on top of all the other revenue they take in and recently read somewhere they have the most expensive hot dog and concessions in baseball so I say bs its all about Rickett greed
Time to get rid of Jed Hoyer he a small market mind in a Big market
it isn’t that they “can’t” compete, but these owners couldn’t care less about whether or not the team can compete for a world series title. As long as fans go to the games, and keep buying cubs merchandise, they don’t care. They will hang their hat on the one title that was won, even if it is 100+ years until another title is won.