Kyle Tucker, whom the Chicago Cubs acquired from the Houston Astros in December, signed a one-year, $16.5 million contract to avoid arbitration with his new club. But his big payday is coming; it’s just a matter of how big it will be.
After this season, Tucker will become an unrestricted free agent. He is expected to be the most highly sought-after player in the market, which, based on the contracts some of his MLB colleagues have gotten over the past few offseasons, means his deal could be extraordinary. And MLB insider Bob Nightengale thinks that deal could be worth over $500 million now.
“No one has made more money this first month of the season than Tucker, whose free-agent value has skyrocketed from $300 million to perhaps more than $500 million,” Nightengale wrote for USA Today.
In his first spring training with the Cubs, he went hitless for a long while and ultimately recorded just three hits in 37 plate appearances, which had some Chicago fans understandably worried that the team’s trade had backfired. Fortunately for them, as well as Tucker, he is batting .300 with an on-base percentage of .409 and a slugging percentage of .600 through 28 games. He has also hit 7 home runs and driven in 25 runs, making him one of the favorites to win this year’s NL MVP.
Of course, there is still plenty of season to go, but the fact remains that Tucker, if he is able to keep up his play, will boost his value when it’s time to sign on the dotted line. While he might not be offered what Juan Soto was (15 years, $765 million), it is not unfathomable to think Tucker could sign a similar deal to that of the Toronto Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
After reportedly not being “close” in negotiations, Guerrero inked a 14-year, $500 million contract extension with the Blue Jays earlier this month. Over the past four seasons, Tucker and Guerrero have put up, on average, very similar numbers, except Tucker, who is a few years older than Guerrero, missed most of last season with a shin injury. Otherwise, both have remained relatively available for their respective teams.
Tucker and the Cubs finish up their weekend series with the Philadelphia Phillies tonight before heading out on the road for an NL Central matchup with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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