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The longer the Chicago Cubs wait, the harder it is to sign Kyle Tucker.
They knew the risk when they dealt Isaac Paredes, Cam Smith, and Hayden Wesneski for the star outfielder on a one-year deal last offseason. They knew it was going to be difficult to lock him up long-term this summer. They knew that the potential National League MVP was going to command hundreds of millions of dollars and hear from every viable team.
But this bidding war, no matter the Cubs' preparation, could sink them. Jim Bowden of The Athletic wrote this about Tucker’s suitors:
“Following Juan Soto’s record-setting $765 million deal in free agency and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s $500 million extension, Tucker is expected to land a nine-figure contract that starts with a 6. Several big-market teams, including the Cubs, Phillies, Yankees, and Dodgers, should be in play for him.”
Chicago still has time to secure Tucker’s future, but that scenario seems less likely with each passing day. If he were going to commit to the Cubs, it likely would have happened already. The situation remains a double-edged sword: the team needs his production, yet the better he performs, the higher his price climbs.
Tucker is having another one of those seasons that have earned him three consecutive All-Stars, a Gold Glove, a Silver Slugger, and MVP votes. The 28-year-old has a .268 batting average, a .912 OPS, a 156 OPS+, 11 home runs, and 13 stolen bases. Tucker also has a magnificent 35:27 BB:K ratio over 190 at-bats.
The Cubs are still in position to ink Tucker to a, say, 12-year, $600 million deal, but this growing competition, according to Bowden, complicates things. All of those teams mentioned above have top-five payrolls (Philadelphia at No. 2, Los Angeles at No. 3, New York at No. 5), and while Chicago is right behind at No. 6, it is never easy going against those big dogs unafraid to spend.
Maybe a few more months at Wrigley Field will convince Tucker. Maybe not. But we do know that the Cubs will have to fend off more than a couple of elite franchises vying for Tucker.
More must-reads:
- Yankees have finally found their third baseman in Ryan McMahon
- All signs point to Yankees moving on from Anthony Volpe
- The 'Multiple 100-RBI MLB seasons' quiz
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Yankees have finally found their third baseman in Ryan McMahon
After years of speculation and nothing materializing, the New York Yankees have at last acquired third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies, per the New York Post's Jon Heyman. Pitching prospects Griffin Herring and Josh Grosz are headed to the Mile High City in return. They were the number eight and 21st-ranked prospects in the Yankees' farm system, per MLB.com. Given the Yankees' struggles at the third-base position over the last few years, bringing in a guy who was an All-Star in 2024 and will be much more reliable is a win. Former MLB player and current analyst Cameron Maybin certainly believes that, as he was pushing the McMahon-to-New York narrative over the last week and feels it could be a great fit for both sides. "The third baseman they need plays in Colorado...I'm telling you! Defensively more than adequate and Taylor made for the ballpark offensively," Maybin wrote on social media. Maybin went on to mention how McMahon will feel reinvigorated joining a World Series contender like the Yankees after the last six-and-a-half years of being at the bottom in Colorado. The 30-year-old is not having his best season, slugging 16 home runs and 35 RBI with a .217 average through 100 games with the Rockies, per MLB.com stats. However, he's consistently been a 20-plus home run hitter who drives in runs at a strong rate and has a large sample size of doing so. Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez (.252 average, 36 HRs, 86 RBI) has seemed to be No. 1 target for most teams, and for good reason, but given the Yankees' current situation and weaknesses, McMahon made more sense. Not only does he play a better third base, which New York desperately needs, but he has another two years of control after 2025, whereas Suarez would have been a rental. The acquisition cost was nothing crazy, and adding a lefty bat with some power to potentially take advantage of the short porch at Yankee Stadium is always a bonus. Some may not be satisfied until they see McMahon positively impacting the New York Yankees, but rest assured, this is a very solid pickup.
Nick Saban responds to speculation about coaching return amid NFL rumors
Shortly after former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback and current college football analyst Greg McElroy shared that someone "in the know" believes there's a possibility Nick Saban — who retired in January 2024 — might return to coaching, NFL insider Albert Breer suggested that the Dallas Cowboys could be a potential destination for the seven-time national champion. According to Mike Rodak of 247Sports, Saban was asked during a Friday appearance on Fox News if he intends to come out of retirement. "No, I'm really happy with what I'm doing right now," Saban responded. "It's exciting to still be involved in the game. It's exciting for me to work with athletic directors, conference commissioners, people in Congress to preserve the integrity of our game and continue to be able to create opportunities to help young people create value for their future that will help them be successful in their life, which is what we always try to do as a coach." Saban, now working as an ESPN analyst, will be 74 in October. Per Christian Datoc of the Washington Examiner, President Donald Trump could consider having Saban "lead a new commission examining problems arising with the growth of name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights and coinciding changes to the NCAA transfer process." Meanwhile, it's thought that Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones could look to hire a big-name candidate if first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer fails to impress during the 2025 campaign. Additionally, Fox Sports personality Colin Cowherd recently hinted that Saban could be interested in becoming the head coach of the Cleveland Browns if the team selects Texas quarterback Arch Manning as the first pick in the 2026 draft. "There is no opportunity that I know of right now that would enhance me to go back to coaching," Saban added during Friday's segment. "I enjoy what I'm doing. I did it for 50 years. I loved it. I loved the relationships with the players. I loved the competition. But it's another station of life now. I enjoy what I'm doing right now and want to continue to do it — spend more time with my family, my grandchildren, my children. It's been really, really good." The "right now" portion of Saban's comments attracted the attention of Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, who was quick to point out he did not say "no for good" regarding a return to coaching. In short, it seems that rumors about Saban's future could hover over the college and pro football communities through at least the rest of the year.
Warriors' Stephen Curry believes NBA players are 'underpaid'
Are NBA players underpaid? Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry argues yes. The greatest shooter in NBA history said Thursday on Complex’s “360 With Speedy” that because the league’s current CBA doesn’t allow for current players to invest in league and team equity, players are leaving money on the table. “I would say, yes, we are underpaid,” Curry admitted when asked, despite enormous salaries, if the players were getting short-changed, “because you wanna be able to participate in that rise [of equity].” “It’s a partnership with ownership, [and] it’s a partnership with the league,” the 37-year-old stressed, revealing that league salaries do not reflect players’ impact on team valuations. If anyone has the right to begrudge the current CBA on player participation in equity, it’s Curry. When drafted in 2009, the Warriors were worth $315 million. Current valuations in May of 2025 have the team at $9.4 billion, the most in the league. Curry’s been paid handsomely during his time in Golden State, and he doesn’t overlook it. “I know we’re blessed to be in a position where we’re playing basketball for a living, and these are the type of checks that people are earning,” he told Complex. However, when he signed his $62.6 million one-year extension in 2024 that would keep him in a Warriors’ jersey until 2027, many felt that no amount of money the franchise could offer him would represent his worth. Curry had an undeniable impact on the Warriors’ valuation increasing by nearly 3,000%. He’s benefited by being the most salaried player on the roster and plenty of endorsement deals. But is he getting his fair share? Something similar may happen with reigning NBA Finals MVP and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who just signed the richest contract in league history with an average annual value of $71.25 million. According to Forbes, the Thunder’s valuation increased 20% from 2023 to 2024 and will likely take another jump after this year’s championship. Curry concedes that player participation in equity isn’t a simple concept and not all markets are created equal: “You got competitive advantage considerations…and want every market to have a fair chance, like I get all that.” He believes, however, that finding a solution is a “mutually beneficial proposition” for players, teams and the league. Even the most expensive people in the world need to find other investors to make owning an NBA team possible. The best example of Curry’s point is the Boston Celtics sale in March. The most-championed franchise in league history was sold to Bill Chisholm for $6.1 billion, the largest ever sports franchise sale in North America at the time. Chisholm needed Rob Hale, Bruce Beal Jr., and private equity firm Sixth Street, to afford the purchase. Because team ownership is already a multi-investor operation, the league could potentially come to an agreement with the players by the next CBA negotiation at the end of the decade. If not, the league's best players will continue to simultaneously earn a ridiculous amount of money, and it will not be nearly enough.
Scottie Scheffler would make major sacrifice to help Cowboys win Super Bowl
Scottie Scheffler continued to pile up major victories with his win at The Open Championship on Sunday, but the World No. 1 golfer says he would give up one of his most coveted trophies if it helped his favorite NFL team win a Super Bowl. Scheffler was born in New Jersey, but his family moved to Dallas, Texas, when he was 6 years old. He went to college at the University of Texas and still lives in Dallas with his wife, Meredith, and 1-year-old son Bennett. As you might expect, Scheffler is a huge Cowboys fan. During an appearance on the latest episode of the "Pardon My Take" podcast, Scheffler discussed how badly he wants the Cowboys to win a Super Bowl. Scheffler said he would "for sure" trade one of his major championships for his favorite NFL team to win a title. Scheffler's win at Royal Portrush was his fourth in a major. The 29-year-old has now joined Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player as the only players to win The Open Championship, the Masters and the PGA Championship before turning 30. Scheffler has been ranked the No. 1 golfer in the world for more than two years now. He has looked virtually unstoppable throughout much of that span. He only needs to win the U.S. Open to complete the career grand slam, and it would be downright shocking if he did not accomplish that at some point. The Cowboys last won a Super Bowl in January of 1996. Scheffler was born in June of that year, so Dallas has not won a championship in his lifetime. Though he knows he is going to have plenty of majors before his golf career is over, it says a lot that Scheffler would be willing to trade one of his trophies just to watch Dallas return to the top of the NFL.
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