These superstars could help Cubs start projecting a Kyle Tucker contract extension
Tucker is in Chicago for at least the 2025 season. In order to keep him for longer, they’ll have to give the RF the largest contract in franchise history.
When the Cubs landed Kyle Tucker in a blockbuster trade on Friday, the consensus feeling among Cubs fans was pure elation. The cost — pitcher Hayden Wesneski, third baseman Isaac Paredes, and Top-100 prospect Cam Smith — was steep, but Tucker is a bona fide superstar, which is something the Cubs haven’t had since trading their World Series core at the trade deadline in 2021.
Here’s the issue, though: Tucker is an impending free agent. He’ll spend 2025 on the North Side, wowing fans with his well-rounded skill set, and then he’ll hit the open market. And lest you think otherwise, the open market is not a place you want your in-house stars to get to. Just ask the New York Yankees about Juan Soto. Or the Los Angeles Angels about Shohei Ohtani. Or the Washington Nationals about Bryce Harper. Or… well, you get the
When the Cubs landed Kyle Tucker in a blockbuster trade on Friday, the consensus feeling among Cubs fans was pure elation. The cost — pitcher Hayden Wesneski, third baseman Isaac Paredes, and Top-100 prospect Cam Smith — was steep, but Tucker is a bona fide superstar, which is something the Cubs haven’t had since trading their World Series core at the trade deadline in 2021.
Here’s the issue, though: Tucker is an impending free agent. He’ll spend 2025 on the North Side, wowing fans with his well-rounded skill set, and then he’ll hit the open market. And lest you think otherwise, the open market is not a place you want your in-house stars to get to. Just ask the New York Yankees about Juan Soto. Or the Los Angeles Angels about Shohei Ohtani. Or the Washington Nationals about Bryce Harper. Or… well, you get the idea.
As such, you can bet your bottom dollar Tucker is going to want to see what’s out there for him. He’ll be just 28 when he hits free agency, and assuming things don’t go completely off the rails in Chicago, his profile will include four consecutive All-Star nods, at least one top-five MVP finish, and some extra hardware, like a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award.
However, what if, against all odds, the Cubs choose to open their wallets?
What would an extension for Tucker look like?
The first bit of good news on that front is the fact that Tucker is NOT represented by mega-agent/known free agency-hater Scott Boras. His agency is Excel Sports Management, which also represents shortstop Dansby Swanson, who signed one of the largest deals in franchise history just a couple of years ago.
Tucker also has said in the past that he’s open to an extension, though that was with the Astros, with whom he won the 2022 World Series.
The closest analogue to Tucker in the last decade, both in terms of age and production, is Harper. He was 26 at the time he signed his 13-year, $330 million contract with the Phillies, though his production was far less consistent than Tucker’s.
Harper won the NL MVP in an all-time great, 9.7 bWAR 2015 season, though that was sandwiched between mediocre seasons in which he was worth just 2.5 bWAR collectively. Tucker, on the other hand, had three consecutive 5.0+ bWAR seasons prior to 2024, when he was worth 4.7 in 78 games played.
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