The Chicago Cubs made a bold move when they traded for Kyle Tucker in mid-December. The Cubs needed a big bat in the middle of their lineup and Tucker has filled the bill in an impressive manner. The former Astro is slashing .301/.410/.578 in the early part of the season and he has already bashed 6 home runs.
While Tucker has helped the Cubs get off to a 13-9 start this season, the team and the player have not made any progress on a contract extension, according to MLB insider Robert Murray. Tucker is scheduled to be a free agent at the conclusion of the 2025 season.
Tucker has seen the huge money that superstars Shoehei Ohtani, Juan Soto and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have received, so it doesn’t seem likely that he would consider a contract extension with the Cubs unless they were willing to offer a long-term deal that would pay him more than the $500 million that Guerrero received from the Blue Jays.
There’s no guarantee that Tucker would settle for that amount. Soto signed a 10-year deal with the New York Mets for $765 million, and that may be closer to the amount that Tucker would be looking for on his next contract.
Cubs have been hitting the ball early in the season
The Cubs had one of their most dramatic victories of the season when they defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 13-11 at Wrigley Field Friday afternoon. In that game, the Cubs built a 7-1 lead through seven innings, but the Diamondbacks shocked the hosts by scoring 10 runs in the top of the eighth inning.
Chicago was undaunted, responding with six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Tucker was instrumental in the victory as he had 3 hits in 6 at bats, and that included a tw0-run homer in the eighth inning rally.
The Cubs have scored seven runs or more in eight of the 15 games they have played in April. Tucker has clearly been a big part of Chicago’s offensive fireworks to this part in the season.
Tucker played the first seven years of his career with the Astros before moving to the Cubs. He is a three-time All-Star, a gold glove winner and he has also gained a silver slugger. Tucker was a part of the 2022 Astros team that was victorious in the World Series.
Tucker had back-to-back 30-home run season in 2021 and 2022. He bashed 29 home runs and drove in an American League-leading 112 runs in 2023.
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