In the offseason, the Chicago Cubs traded for outfielder Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros. The Cubs knew, however, that they were taking a risk because Tucker is in the final year of his contract.
At 28 years old, Tucker will soon be looking for a new deal — whether it’s with Chicago or another MLB team. He’s been a big reason the Cubs are off to a 9-5 start to begin the 2025 season. The question now, though, is can Chicago afford to keep him after this year, or is Tucker headed elsewhere?
Chicago Cubs Insider Believes That Kyle Tucker Won’t Be Back After 2025
Sahadev Sharma, Cubs beat writer for The Athletic, recently spoke on the “Foul Territory” podcast and discussed Tucker’s future in Chicago. During the discussion, Sharma said, “There’s so many other teams that he can end up with,” indicating an unlikelihood that Tucker will be back with the Cubs.
There’s no doubt there will be a major market for Tucker, and one team expected to make a serious push this offseason is the Philadelphia Phillies. Philadelphia has been looking for a long-term outfield option and even talked about moving first baseman Bryce Harper back to the outfield before the 2025 season began.
What the Cubs need to do is sign Tucker to a long-term deal. He’s helped spark their early-season success, and letting him walk after one year would be a mistake.
In 14 games to start the 2025 season, Tucker is batting .339 with five home runs, 16 RBIs, and three stolen bases. Meanwhile, his on-base percentage is .464, and his slugging is .714 — while early, both obliterate his career marks in those statistics.
Several big-name players have already signed extensions during the 2025 season. Most recently, the Toronto Blue Jays gave Vladimir Guerrero Jr. a 14-year, $500 million deal. With that new benchmark, Spotrac now projects Tucker could land a 12-year, $534 million contract in free agency. That would still be short of the 15-year, $765 million deal Juan Soto signed with the New York Mets last offseason.
If Chicago makes the playoffs this year, it will need to find a way to lock Tucker up long term. It would be organizational malpractice to trade for him, get just one year, and not re-sign him.
The Cubs last made the playoffs in 2020 during the COVID-shortened season. Losing a player like Tucker right as they start winning again wouldn’t sit well — especially if Cubs insiders already expect him to leave after this year.