Acquiring Kyle Tucker last month was, unquestionably, the high-water mark of Jed Hoyer’s run as Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations. It was a bold, big-market move – two descriptors rarely, if ever, used since Hoyer took control of the front office in late 2020.
So, naturally, instead of finding a middle ground between the $15 million they put forth and the $17.5 million submitted by Tucker’s camp, the two sides are headed for an arbitration hearing unless something changes in the weeks to come. It’s a brutal look for the Cubs, who have pinched pennies and cut costs at every turn in recent years, fielding a subpar product while ownership continues to happily take fans’ hard-earned money.
Mediocrity – and simply having a chance at a seat at the table come October – is the new ‘Cubs Way,’ a far cry from what it once was under Hoyer’s mentor and predecessor Theo Epstein. I’m not saying you have to go spend money like the Mets or Dodgers, but not paying the player you brought in to be your superstar and, at least in theory, would like to extend long-term, is comically ridiculous.
Chicago is nowhere near the first CBT threshold after dumping Cody Bellinger and virtually all of his contract in a deal with the New York Yankees. $17.5 million for a guy coming off 4.7 bWAR in half a season is nothing – yet here we are having to talk about this.
Even if the two sides avoid a hearing (which feels like a must if you want to have any real chance at keeping this guy past 2025), this whole affair feels wildly unnecessary. Pay the man his money and move on to the numerous other items that still require the front office’s attention between now and Opening Day.
Again, right now, it doesn’t technically matter – but this has really struck a nerve with the fanbase because it’s indicative of a larger problem with this team, as a whole, ownership and the front office. The Cubs are unhealthily obsessed with finding value and never stepping outside of their comfort zone for any reason – and their latest ‘stick to our guns’ moment has the entire industry laughing at them while fans seethe.