The Chicago Cubs finally made a big-time move for a star. After several tweets of buildup from Jon Heyman, Jeff Passan of ESPN finally broke the news that the Cubs had acquired three-time all-star outfielder Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros for third baseman Isaac Paredes, 2024 first-round pick infielder Cam Smith, and pitcher Hayden Wesneski.
As I mentioned on Twitter, this is the big boy move that Cubs fans have been waiting for from President of Baseball Ops Jed Hoyer. For a long time, it's seemed like Hoyer was afraid to take a swing on a big-time player, either via trade or free agency (choosing Dansby Swanson over Trea Turner in 2022). Yet here we are just over a week later basking in the glory of this trade. Hayden Wesneski was a thrown-in piece who couldn't always put it together with the Cubs whether he was a starter or reliever. While I liked the Isaac Paredes deal at the time, I didn't quite realize how bad of a fit Wrigley Field was for a pull hitter like Paredes, so shipping him out to the Crawford Boxes in left field at Minute Maid was a no-brainer. Now for the piece that hurts, the Cubs' 2024 first-round pick Cam Smith. By all indications, he was sensational in the Cubs minor league system. In 32 games, he moved from low A to AA and hit seven home runs, and 24 RBIs, and had a slash line of .313/.396/.609 (OPS of 1.004).
The main concern with sending Smith to the Astros is that Tucker is on a one-year deal and there is no guarantee that he will sign a long-term extension (or if the Ricketts will sign off on a $400 million+ extension for Tucker). Despite all of those long-term concerns, the Cubs had to make a trade. They have a lot of good players and complementary players, but they needed a star hitter like "King Tuck" to push them over the edge as a playoff and NL Central contender. Despite only playing in 78 games last season, Tucker was an All-Star, socked 23 home runs, and was nearly a five-win player via WAR (4.7). He plays solid defense, hits for power, hits for average, and has great advanced analytics. This is the type of player you need if you want to be taken seriously across the league that you're ready to win.
What this means for the Cubs down the road after the Cody Bellinger trade remains murky. They have been in on the reliever market, and are currently pursuing Japanese pitching sensation Roki Sasaki. Whether it bears any fruit is unknown, but trading for Kyle Tucker is an aggressive move for a star that we haven't seen the Cubs do since 2015 when they signed Jon Lester. Let's hope this Tucker trade is the start of a good offseason for the North Siders.
Cover image courtesy of Marquee Sports Network.
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