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New Timeline for Kyle Tucker Cubs Extension Revealed by Insider

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jon Conahan | Last updated May 16, 2025 4:10 PM ET

Signing Kyle Tucker won’t be an easy task for the Chicago Cubs. If the front office were smart, they’d drop a $500 million check in front of his face right now and hope he takes it.

However, even if they did that, there could be a scenario where Tucker doesn’t take the money. If he knows that the Cubs have a $500 million deal in their back pocket, why wouldn’t he test the free agency market and look to get $600 million when the time comes?

Whether he’s worth $600 million or $500 million remains to be seen, but Tucker has been excellent throughout the past few years and has put it together for this Cubs team. Arguably one of the top teams in Major League Baseball when they’re at their best, the Cubs have shown what they can do on both sides of the baseball, and Tucker is a big reason for that.

However, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Tucker doesn’t want to talk with the Cubs about a deal right now. He added that the team would likely give him an extension offer at some point, and he’d listen, but he didn’t want to talk to them before the summer approached.

“He didn’t want to talk about any potential (contract) talks, I understand that, but he did say he’s really enjoying himself as a Cub,” Heyman said. “No surprise there, so I do think he will listen (to an extension offer). I do think the expectation is they will come to him this summer and try to figure it out.”

Heyman later added that the team “really” wants to keep him, and will do anything to make him a competitive offer.

“They really want to keep him,” Heyman added. “This is a guy who I think will consider it if they make him the right offer.”

If Tucker hits free agency, the price will only go up. However, from his perspective, it’s likely the right thing to do even if he wants to stay in Chicago.

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

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