The Chicago Cubs were famished for a superstar. On Friday, they finally got one.
After their second-straight 83-win season, the Cubs had to feel some urgency, especially losing the division to the Milwaukee Brewers immediately after stealing their manager, Craig Counsell. They responded accordingly.
On the same day the Brewers traded a superstar away in closer Devin Williams, the Cubs brought in the best player they’ve had in half a decade.
The Cubs acquired Houston Astros right fielder Kyle Tucker, a three-time American League All-Star, in a blockbuster trade that included three players in return: third baseman Isaac Paredes, right-handed pitcher Hayden Wesneski, and infield prospect Cam Smith.
Chandler Rome of The Athletic was the first to report the news of the trade.
Tucker, 27, has a career .274/.357/.516 slash line, accruing 23.0 bWAR in parts of seven seasons. In 2024, he was on pace for his best season yet before a shin injury cost him half the year, putting up a .993 OPS in 78 games. Only Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge had higher OPS’s among hitters with at least 300 plate appearances.
Acquiring Tucker with one year remaining on his contract is a bold move, especially because he’s likely to command $300 million or more when he hits free agency. The largest contract in Cubs history to this point is $184 million for Jason Heyward, so they’ll have to prove they’re willing to go much bigger.
Paredes, 25, is coming off a season in which he was named an All-Star for the Tampa Bay Rays, but struggled mightily with a .633 OPS in two months as a Cub. He has three years of team control remaining, however, and his pull-happy swing is a dream fit for the Crawford Boxes in Houston.
Wesneski, 27, had a 3.86 ERA in 28 appearances this season, including seven starts. He’s highly regarded for having one of the filthiest sweepers in all of baseball, but didn’t miss many barrels this season, allowing a 36.8% hard-hit rate.
Smith, 21, is the Cubs’ seventh-ranked prospect, per MLB.com. He’s a 6-foot-3 third baseman who makes lots of loud contact and has a strong arm at the hot corner. Smith was the Cubs’ first-round pick in this year’s draft out of Florida State.
This could be a game-changing move for the Cubs, in a year where the National League Central is once again there for the taking. Will 2025 finally be the year Chicago makes the jump?
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