The Chicago Cubs made a big gamble by trading for superstar outfielder Kyle Tucker entering the final year of his rookie contract.
Tucker is a three-time All-Star, has yet to turn 28, and is coming off a season where he could have been in Most Valuable Player consideration if not for an untimely shin injury. For one year, he makes the Cubs much more formidable contenders in the National League.
The question, though, is quickly becoming whether or not the Cubs will make a strong effort to extend Tucker before he hits free agency. More specifically, how much will it cost if the Cubs want to keep Tucker from testing the open market?
CBS Sports’ Mike Axisa recently attempted to answer that question. Axisa projected a 10-year, $350 million deal for Tucker that would make him easily the highest-paid player in Cubs history, both in annual salary and total contract value.
“Age is a cheat code. The younger you are, the better the contract. Teams will pay more for youth than they will for older, better players,” Axisa wrote.
“A contract worth $35 million a year would be the fourth-richest average annual value for an outfielder behind Juan Soto ($51 million), Judge ($40 million), and Mike Trout ($35.54 million). A 10-year contract at that salary beginning in 2026 would lock Tucker in through age 38, and come in at $350 million total.”
The largest contract in Cubs history to date was the $184 million deal they gave Jason Heyward before the 2016 season–which aged poorly, to say the least. Whether they would be willing to go nearly double that amount for Tucker is as much a question for ownership as it is the front office.
You don’t trade for a player like Tucker unless you have optimism that he will stick around for the long haul. But if the Cubs can’t do what it takes to extend him, they might well regret giving up three talented ballplayers to bring him in for a brief cameo.
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