Yankees Free Agent Target Benched During Playoff Push

Kyle Tucker will be the prized pig in the next free agent class. The New York Yankees will be connected to him all winter until the ink on his deal eventually dries and he signs the sport's next mega contract. While the man the city of Houston once referred to as King Tuck has his sights set on a big contract, his play on the field has left the Cubs baffled, and now, manager Craig Counsell has benched him.

Chicago swept a doubleheader against the Brewers, and Tucker sat out both games. This should come as no surprise to anyone. Tucker is on a brutal skid, having been one of the hottest players in baseball at one point. Something changed, though, and he has had a rough 30 days. In his last 105 at-bats, Tucker is hitting .181/.323/.238. He has one home run and seven RBI.

Of course, this is 2025, so the word "benched" was not broached when Counsell described what was going on. He had a more polite way of saying it.

"The fans are frustrated, and Kyle’s frustrated. And it’s unfortunate, because Kyle, when you make outs, it doesn’t look great. But he’s trying. It’s just not clicking. We’re going to have to take a little step back here, for sure, and just give him some days off to reset him, hopefully," Craig Counsell said.

Whether it is a "step back" or a "reset," one thing is certain here. Tucker is riding pine, as the Cubs are hoping for a big October stretch with the 2025 season winding down.

It is yet to be seen how this skid will affect Tucker's free agency. What is a loss for him may end up being a big win for Cody Bellinger, the guy he replaced, and who is having a better time of things on River Avenue in the Bronx. In Bellinger's last 30 games, he is hitting .250/.295/.583. He has 11 home runs and 27 RBI.

Bellinger's future earnings may not be as lucrative as Tucker's, and despite being cast aside by the Cubs for Cody Poteet — a pitcher who was dumped by the wayside as well — Bellinger is on his way to passing the man once known as King Tuck on the statistical highway. If not passed, at least drive side by side with him.

Scott Boras is most likely watching all of this and laughing — as he should. He is probably drawing up the framework of Bellinger's next deal, laughing at Tucker's collapse, all while writing up a dozen or so concepts with different variations of opt-outs. The deal will be littered with a flowery array of words and contractual concepts that only Boras understands, and the owner of his next team will have to decipher.

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