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Phillies Could Land Impending Free Agent Star on Bargain Deal According to Insider

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Michael Brauner | Last updated Sep 4, 2025 3:12 PM ET

The Philadelphia Phillies have been one of the most spend-happy teams in Major League Baseball over the course of the last decade, and since Dave Dombrowski took over in 2021, they have shown they aren't afraid to take the big swing.

Despite that fact, it was a relatively quiet offseason for the franchise even as some huge contracts were handed out to stars. That patience for the moment has paid off with another great season and comfortable division lead, but it's safe to say the Phillies are going to be ready to go big again this winter, especially if they fall short in October once more.

One name who Philadelphia has been consistently linked to since he was on the trade market last offseason is Chicago Cubs superstar outfielder Kyle Tucker. Chicago beat out Dombrowski when they made the huge trade with the Houston Astros, but Tucker hits the open market this winter with his contract expiring.

While trying to speculate on exactly how much Tucker could receive, one of baseball's most prominent insiders in Jeff Passan of ESPN named the Phillies specifically as a team who will be vying for Tucker's services.

"The Philadelphia Phillies could desperately use a big corner outfield bat, particularly if [Kyle Schwarber] takes his talents elsewhere," Passan wrote while breaking down the impending sweepstakes for the four-time All-Star.

How Much Does Passan Expect Tucker to Command in Free Agency?

For a minute there during the first half of the season with Tucker looking as dominant as he had his entire career, the 28-year-old looked like he was going to be the next half a billion dollar player. In the month of June, he slashed .311/.404/.578 with five home runs and 13 RBI in 25 games.

Had that hot streak continued the rest of the season and into the playoffs, it's not out of the realm of possibility the final number could have crept over $600 million or even higher than that. Unfortunately for the Cubs, Tucker instead cooled off dramatically in July and came back down to earth.

Following an extremely ugly stretch, Tucker is starting to perform once again, however the damage is done in terms of the massive mega-deal potential. Passan still wrote that he expects the figure to be in the $400 million range, so make no mistake, it's still a giant commitment to one player and would be the biggest deal in franchise history.

Still, given where the rumored figures were climbing to following the scorching first half for Tucker, Philadelphia would have to feel pretty great about getting him for around $400 million. It's hard to say any nine-figure contract is a bargain, but based on the way deals are going and money is being spent, it would be one in today's day and age.

There's still a ton of season left and hopefully a very memorable playoff run to come for the Phillies over the next couple of months, but as soon as the season ends, look for Tucker to be linked to the City of Brotherly Love over and over again.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia Phillies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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