Superstar Slugger’s MVP-Level Production a Double-Edged Sword for Cubs

The Chicago Cubs had high hopes when they acquired outfielder Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros in an offseason trade.

The star right fielder is one of the best positional players in baseball. He has produced incredible numbers at the plate while providing stellar defense.

In the last four years, he has had three All-Star appearances, a Silver Slugger Award and a Gold Glove Award, and he has appeared on the MVP ballot three times, finishing as high as fifth place in 2023.

At the start of his Cubs tenure, he has certainly lived up to the hype and is playing at an incredibly high level.

He is providing everything he had hoped the team would and more, anchoring their lineup and elevating the squad to another level. Chicago is currently third in baseball, averaging 6.46 runs per game and Tucker is leading the way.

A .327/.453/.712 slash line has been produced with an OPS+ of 226. He has hit five home runs and five doubles with 14 runs scored and 16 RBI, coming out to an impressive 1.1 WAR.

Tucker and the Cubs have rebounded nicely from a tough start to his 2025 campaign against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Tokyo Series.

Since coming back stateside, the team has gone 8-3, trying to put some room between them and their National League Central rivals early in the year.

That kind of production is worthy of him landing on the list that Andrew Simon and Manny Randhawa of MLB.com put together highlighting fast starts for players who are seeking the first MVP awards of their careers.

While Chicago is certainly loving the production their newest superstar is providing, it is a double-edged sword for the team to deal with.

Set to hit free agency after the year, each time Tucker does something productive at the plate, such as blast a home run, he sees money signs and his price tag goes up.

The odds of the Cubs being able to work out an extension with the star outfielder were very low. With each passing day, they get lower and lower and his recent comments certainly don’t paint a good picture when it comes to him committing to the franchise before hitting the open market.

Should he hit free agency, Tucker will assuredly receive some eye-popping offers.

His comp for a new contract is Juan Soto, who agreed to a historic 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets this past winter.

Tucker’s next contract may not start with a seven, but he and his agents now have a baseline for negotiations after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. agreed to a 14-year, $500 million extension with the Toronto Blue Jays.

That is the benchmark all talks with the Chicago star will start and will likely soar from that point on. As the clear-cut top free agent positional player hitting the market, it would not be a surprise if a bidding war ensued and he pushes toward $600 million, a number the Cubs would be hesitant to go up to.