Chicago Cubs: The continuing debate on Kyle Tucker and his future with the Cubs

A hot Tucker helped anchor the interior of a lineup that had struggled with inconsistency the previous season, paving the way for an offensive surge that propelled the team to the best record in baseball at one point.

Then, Tucker went on a career-worst slump that went on for almost two months. From July 1 to August 21, the four-time All-Star hit .184 with just 1 home run and 10 RBIs. The rest of the Cubs’ offense nosedived with him, becoming one of the worst run-producing offenses after being the best.

Many blamed Tucker, who had been dealing with a hairline fracture in his hand, for the team-wide downward trajectory.

After a benching by manager Craig Counsell to mentally “reset,” Tucker bounced back over the next several games, hitting .409 with 3 home runs and 7 RBIs in the series with the Angels and Giants.

However, the offense, as a whole, has continued to struggle. Excluding their 12-run surge in game-2 versus the Angels, the team has only produced an average of 3 runs per game over the last 2 series.

Tucker’s role in the downward-bound Chicago Cubs offense

The debate is still raging over Tucker’s role– or lack of role– in the team’s offensive doldrums.

Jim Bowden, former MLB exec and current MLB insider for The Athletic, even listed Tucker as the Cubs’ biggest concern heading into the playoffs in an article posted on Wednesday.

Per Bowden:

“Tucker was the aircraft carrier of the Cubs during the first three months of the season, taking pressure off everyone else as he starred in the field, on the bases and at the plate, performing like a top-10 player in the sport — one who could land a $500 to $600 million contract this offseason in free agency.

However, the two-month long slump was wearing on him, mentally and physically, until he got a break last week and sat for three consecutive games. It looks like the rest helped, as Tucker had hit .295/.355/.630 over his last seven games entering Tuesday.

Can he keep it up? The Cubs need Tucker at his best if they’re going to close the season strong and have success in October.”

The value of Kyle Tucker

For what it’s worth, Giants pitcher and Tucker’s former Astros World Series teammate Justin Verlander, who delivered 6 solid innings in Tuesday’s 5-2 win over the Cubs, actually saw the right fielder’s struggles as a byproduct of his inner strength

“Obviously, things spiraled with the hand,” Verlander told The Athletic, after spotlighting Tucker’s status as one of the best hitters in baseball. “It’s admirable in a free-agent year that he tried to play through something for a team that has no commitment to him moving forward. He didn’t make excuses. That’s what I saw from this side. Nobody really knew, and his world was falling apart, and he didn’t say anything.”

And all of this debate on Kyle Tucker leads to another big topic of discussion right now– will the Cubs re-sign him?

Set to be the most sought-after free agent position player on the market, he’s expected to land a contract in the range of $400-$600 million this offseason. Even at the low-end of that range, it’s hard to see the infamously frugal Cubs ownership making such a deal.

ESPN insider Jeff Passan recently told Marquee Sports Network that, while he stills makes the Cubs the favorite to land Tucker, he also sees a big possibility that the tight-pocketed Ricketts family will ultimately allow itself to be outbid by competitors.

Per Passan:

“But I do think the Cubs are going to have a limit they’re not going to want to go past. The reason I have pause on saying ‘unequivocally, yes, they are the favorite,’ is because I’ve seen this time and again.

We saw it with Alex Bregman. The Cubs should have gotten Alex Bregman in the winter. I’ve seen the Cubs have a willingness to stop, and to say ‘we are not going to go a penny over that, and you can keep pushing and keep trying and keep cajoling and you can keep telling us we’re not going to get the player, but we’re not moving.’ And one could call that either discipline or foolishness. Maybe it’s a little of both.”

Whatever the case, right now, Tucker has to keep producing and the Cubs have to get their offense in order. When the dust settles on this season, assessments can be made regarding Tucker and his worth to the team.