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Cubs’ Kyle Tucker Trade Already Paying off After Winning Latest Award

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Andrew Wright | Last updated Apr 7, 2025 4:09 PM ET

For the first time as a member of the Chicago Cubs, right fielder Kyle Tucker has won MLB's National League Player of the Week Award.

Tucker was a big part of the Chicago's two series wins over the Athletics and the San Diego Padres. He went 9-for-23 at the plate with three home runs, eight runs driven in, and 11 runs scored.

Tucker is fitting in quite nicely in his first 12 games as a member of the Cubs, as he boasts a slash line of .319/.458/.745 and an other-worldly OPS of 1.202.

"Obviously he's a great player, that's why we traded for him. I think clearly, he's the kind of player you want to kind of build a lineup around and build a team around," said Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer when speaking on Tucker's impact.

He was acquired by the Cubs in December in exchange for third baseman Isaac Paredes, RHP Hayden Wesneski, and 3B/OF Cam Smith.

That impact was noticed throughout Chicago's last six games in which they averaged 8.6 runs per game, including scoring 10-plus runs twice in three games against the Athletics.

To make the sting a little worse for Astros fans, another former Astro, Alex Bregman, won player of the week for the American League. A team week for the Houston faithful, having to watch two of its former players thriving with their new teams.

Tucker's future with Chicago is up in the air, as he is in the last season of his current contract and there have not been many efforts made by the Cubs front office to lock him down. If he continues to produce at the level he currently is, Chicago will have to open up the checkbooks big time to keep Tucker on the north side of Chicago.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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