Chicago Cubs: Former executive emphatically states superstar won’t give a discount

Since Vladimir Guerrero Jr. signed his mega extension with the Toronto Blue Jays, Kyle Tucker became the most prized free agent on the market after this season. Tucker enters free agency at the perfect time and will command top dollar from teams seeking his services.

Tucker has been one of the game’s best players since becoming an everyday player in 2021, and will continue to be until he decides to hang it up. Named an All-Star for the fourth straight season, and likely to place the highest he’s ever finished in the MVP voting for his career, Tucker’s price tag continues to rise.

With that price tag rising, former Miami Marlins President David Samson, who appeared on the Mully & Haugh show on 670 The Score, emphatically stated that Tucker will not be giving the Cubs a “hometown discount.”

“.@DavidPSamson on Kyle Tucker’s upcoming free agency: “I promise you, he’s not giving you a hometown discount, no matter how much he loves the Cubs and how great it’s been.”

Samson also stated that if the Cubs do ink a deal with Tucker before he reaches free agency, it will likely be an overpay, and they’ll compete with other teams willing to give him the same money as Guerrero if he makes it to free agency.

“If you get him signed before free agency, it will be an overpay, I promise you that! And if he goes to free agency, then you’ll be subject to which teams who are willing to do the overpay.”

The Cubs’ re-signing Tucker will dictate their future

The Cubs will need to do everything in their power to re-sign Tucker, as they gave up quite the haul to get him and need to get the franchise back to winning. Tucker is the player the Cubs need to be competitive and build around for the future, as they’ve lacked a face of the franchise before he got here, and PCA’s emergence.

In 95 games, Tucker has hit .280/.384/.499 for an OPS and OPS+ of .882 and 154. If Tucker is to reach free agency, the Cubs likely will lose him, so hopefully, a deal can get done to keep him as a Cub for the rest of his career.