The intensity of this 2025 MLB season has reached sky-high. In addition to sparking a flurry of new talent-related conversations, it has also sparked a variety of trade negotiations that have enthralled sports enthusiasts worldwide. Despite multiple unexpected twists and turns and stars making headlines, the one acquiring the most attention is Kyle Tucker. The Cubs have dominated the early going of the season thanks to their amazing power show. Still, MLB insider Bob Nightengale has dropped a huge bomb off the pitch: can the Chicago Cubs afford to extend Kyle Tucker’s contract, keeping him in blue pinstripes for the long haul?
Kyle Tucker, signed by the Cubs for a one-year, $16.5 million deal in December, has his big payday coming. While he is expected to be a free agent after this season, it cannot be denied that he is one of the major reasons that the Cubs are in a prime position in the National League Central Division. With a .284 average, nine home runs, 31 RBIs, and a .953 OPS in just 38 games, when asked about whether Tucker will remain a Cub, Nightengale remains optimistic.
“I would have said less than 50/50, like 30 percent, before the season started,” Bob Nightengale said on the SportsNet Blair and Balker show, but now Tucker seems hopeful. He said, “Now I think it’s’ 50/50, maybe even 60/40, that he remains a Cub. There’s a lot of pressure on ownership.” And to some extent, it’s actually true—first of all, there’s the interest from big players like the New York Yankees, Mets, and even Phillies, who are eyeing Tucker once he reaches free agency.
“It’s 50-50 [Kyle Tucker] remains a Cub… He’s as good as Vladdy, I would think he’d be somewhere in that range.”@BNightengale looks ahead at the #Cubs star’s looming free agency with @SNJeffBlair & Kevin Barker.
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— Sportsnet 590 The FAN (@FAN590) May 8, 2025
But will that be possible?
Well, if the Toronto Blue Jays can offer a massive $500 million contract extension for Vladimir Guerrero Jr, then why not the Cubs? Drawing a comparison to the contract extension, Nightengale further said, “He wanted $300 million from the Astros. After seeing what Vladdy got, you’ve got to say Tucker is as good as Vladdy. I would think he’d be somewhere in that range.” Of course, part of the reason was the Blue Jays being able to afford the massive amount, and Vladdy Jr. also expressing interest in staying with the Jays for a long time.
But for the Cubs, they have never spent above $184 million. Quite surprising, right?
So, it all boils down to what the Chicago Cubs’ owners are going to do. However, with their team in a better position and their star player performing exceptionally well, it’s time to wait and watch what the Cubs can offer in real time and whether Tucker will be a good bet for the Cubs in the future.
Kyle Tucker is going nowhere from the Cubs, as it seems at the moment
No one would disagree that the Chicago Cubs have the best outfield this season and are ranked even higher than the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. Although they have a great lineup, what sets the Cubs apart is Kyle Tucker’s ability to play in different positions. More importantly, his partnership with Pete Crow-Armstrong has been nothing short of extraordinary this season—the duo is just the second pair in MLB history to produce nine home runs each and eight-plus SBs.
The Cubs, if really serious about winning the competition, need to lock down Tucker before he becomes a free agent. Cubs radio host David Kaplan also revealed that the team will not stop at anything and is ready to spend as much as required to get him.
“I’m hearing that the Cubs have wrapped their brain around — now, it doesn’t mean he’ll accept it — have wrapped their brain around, ‘Whatever it costs, we’re paying it,’” Kaplan further said. This gives a clear indication that the player who was once landed for a one-year deal might soon be the face of the club in the long run. Although keep in mind that Tucker won’t come at an affordable cost either.
Do you think the Cubs will get Tucker or any other team?
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