In an IG post, Tucker thanked the Astros organization and the fans for their love, support and appreciation.
Tucker captioned his IG post featuring a heartfelt montage:
“Thank you Houston for all the love and support you have shown me and my family over the years. Having had the opportunity to play in front of you, alongside my teammates, has been some of the best times of my life and I appreciate everything you have given us. – King Tuck.”
With Kyle Tucker an impending free agent, the Astros were inclined to move him ahead of next season’s trade deadline. The Astros received three highly touted prospects in return for the three-time All-Star.
The 27-year-old Tucker had 23 homers last season to go with 49 RBIs and a .289 batting average in 78 games. According to Baseball Reference, Kyle Tucker finished last season with a 4.7 WAR rating.
Nevertheless, Tucker boasts a 23.0 WAR rating for his career. With those sorts of numbers, the Cubs have a player which the club can build its outfield around.
While the future may look bright for Kyle Tucker in the North Side of Chicago, the Astros’ first-round pick in the 2015 draft will always have a special place in his heart for the Astros. After all, the 2022 World Series championship stands as one of Tucker’s most memorable achievements to date.
Kyle Tucker open to long-term extension with Chicago Cubs
One of the biggest reasons for the Houston Astros trading Kyle Tucker was the impending free agent’s desire for a long-term contract. With the Astros seemingly unwilling to commit to Tucker long-term, a trade seemed like the best option for the Astros.
Now, as NBC Sports reports, Tucker and the Cubs are looking to come to terms on a new, long-term extension.
“Definitely Chicago’s, you know, great city to play in. Great city just in general,” Tucker said. “So I’m open for anything.”
The Cubs finished with a respectable 83-79 mark in 2024. However, that was not enough to catch the first-place Milwaukee Brewers and qualify for the postseason. The Brewers finished six games ahead of the Cubs in the NL Central.
With that sort of competition, the Cubs had to get better. Adding Tucker achieves that. The next step now is for the Cubs to round out their roster.
As the Cubs’ Preside of Baseball Operations, Jed Hoyer stated per NBC Sports:
“And certainly there’s a lot of players out there, and our team’s not complete. … We’re not done.”
The comments underscore that the Cubs are going for broke in 2025. Management will do everything it can to add the players needed to get over the hump. If last year’s standing is any indication, the Cubs will need a 95-win season to claim the NL Central.
Now, it’s just a matter of waiting to see what other moves the Cubs make following the Bellinger trade.
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