Chicago Cubs fans were appropriately elated when they heard the news this past December that the Cubs had acquired Houston Astros’ all-star right fielder Kyle Tucker.
Christmas had seemingly come early for fans who had longed for a true impact player on the team, one who could help carry the Cubs to their first postseason appearance since the abbreviated 2020 season.
The lump of coal that came with the early Christmas present, however, was the reality that Tucker would become a free agent at the end of the 2025 season and would be asking for the kind of money Cubs ownership has never dished out before.
How Much Money Is Coming Kyle Tucker’s Way?
By some indications, the multi-tool Tucker, who just turned 28 in January, could be asking for a contract ranging anywhere from $300 million to $500 million. Most reports place him squarely in the ten-year, $350 million range.
Investing that kind of money, for those many years is not in character for the Cubs and that could very well mean a one-and-done season in Chicago.
But there are several teams that may dish out that kind of loot for a true elite-level talent that rates right up there with names like Juan Soto and Aaron Judge.
The Philadelphia Phillies Make Business Sense
The Philadelphia Phillies, for example, could be a leading candidate to snap up Tucker as their decade-long right fielder.
MLB analyst Ken Rosenthal talks up that possibility in a recent article for The Athletic.
Per Rosenthal:
“…This is the first time since 2016-17 that the Phillies did not sign a free agent to a multiyear deal. Next offseason, with nearly $75 million coming off the payroll, figures to be different.
…The Phillies likely will want to keep two of their potential free agents, designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, who ranks third in homers behind Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani the past two seasons, and catcher J.T. Reamuto, who plays a position where the Phillies lack internal alternatives.
The problem is that by 2026, the Phillies’ roster will be aging. Schwarber will be 33 that season, Realmuto 35. Zack Wheeler will be 36, Aaron Nola, Trea Turner and Bryce Harper 33. The incorporation of prospects such as right-hander Andrew Painter and shortstop Aidan Miller should help. But the Phillies also might need to add a free agent or two in their primes. Right fielder Kyle Tucker, who will hit the open market next offseason while turning 29, could make particular sense.”
The almost immediate loss of Tucker would be a heart-breaker for Cubs fans, especially if the monster year he’s projected to have leads to a deep run into the postseason.
Will The Chicago Cubs Take A Stab At Extending Tucker?
So far, the Cubs front office has not offered up much hope of keeping Tucker, beyond the lollipops and rainbows idea that Wrigley Field magic will keep him in Chicago.
“He’s the kind of player you want to keep for a long time,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said during an interview with Spiegel & Holmes on 670 The Score. “This is his first taste of what the Cubs are all about, it’s pretty great. But, you know, playing some games in Wrigley in the middle of summer in front of those fans, I think that’s the kind of thing that that makes a huge difference…I like to think I’m a pretty good salesman, but I’m not even close to as good a salesman as Wrigley Field and Chicago in the summer.”
The major market Cubs, though, COULD afford the expenditure of keeping Tucker long-term.
Mike Axisa of CBS Sports notes:
“Chicago has very little long-term money on the books. Dansby Swanson is the only player signed beyond 2027. Shota Imanaga, who can opt out of his contract after 2025, is the only other player signed beyond 2026. The Cubs have a solid young core and top prospects on the way. Tucker is a star-caliber performer and signing him to an extension would lock in a centerpiece as the Cubbies enter what they hope is a long run of contention.”
Everyone will just have to wait and see how this all plays.
In the meantime, enjoy Kyle Tucker while you have him, Cubs fans.
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