Cubs Superstar Outfielder's Hot Start Proves Why Risky Trade was Worth it

The Chicago Cubs were involved in one the biggest trade of the offseason over the winter, and even though they've only played seven games so far this season, the move has been subject to a roller coaster of public perception.

The Cubs took a big swing when they acquired superstar outfielder Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros in exchange for third baseman Isaac Paredes, pitcher Hayden Wesneski and prospect Cam Smith.

At the time of the deal, the league-wide consensus was that the Cubs had made a brilliant move, acquiring an MVP candidate for a relatively low cost.

But when spring training rolled around and Smith looked like a potential superstar in the process of shockingly forcing his way on to the Astros' Opening Day roster, the perception began to shift.

That, coupled with the lack of negotiations for or even apparent interest in a long-term extension to keep Tucker in Chicago, really hammered home the notion that the Cubs had paid dearly for just one season of one great player.

Nearly everyone expects Chicago to make the playoffs and win the National League Central, but giving up a serious long-term asset and then watching Tucker walk when he hit the open market would be a tough blow if it didn't come at the end of a World Series run.

That's still true, but Tucker has begun to put to rest any fears that his underperformance could be a reason for a doomsday scenario for the Cubs.

After struggling in the two games against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Tokyo, Tucker is scorching hot back stateside.

In the last two games of Chicago's four-game set against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tucker hit his first and second home runs of the season.

In the two games combined, he went 4-for-8 at the plate with two homers and five runs batted in. Three of the four hits were for extra bases.

Tucker took that momentum on the flight west with him, as the Cubs have helped christen the newly-minted Major League ballpark in Sacramento.

Facing the Athletics on Monday night, Tucker extended his home run streak to three games, racked up four total hits and drove in another three runs.

Despite a 2-for-16 start in his first four games, Tucker now owns a slash line of .323/.400/.742, and he is tied with Cedric Mullins for second in all of MLB in RBI, trailing only Aaron Judge.

Any worries that there would be a significant adjustment period for Tucker on a new city in a new team are officially dead, and now he can focus on leading this offense toward the summer and hopefully, eventually, World Series contention without a slump weighing on his shoulders.