Earlier this offseason, the Chicago Cubs made the blockbuster move to acquire superstar outfielder Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros. The Cubs caught a lot of criticism for this trade because they dealt away two young stars to acquire an expiring Tucker.
Don’t get me wrong, Tucker is one of the best pure hitters in baseball, but it’s quite unlikely the Cubs will be able to afford to re-sign him at the end of the season. Trading Isaac Paredes and Cam Smith for Tucker seems like a bit of a risky move to make.
With Tucker only being on a one-year deal, Jim Bowden of The Athletic recently predicted he would cut ties with the Cubs at the end of the season in favor of a deal worth over $600 million with a different National League powerhouse.
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“After a strong season with the Cubs, Kyle Tucker signs a 14-year, $604 million contract with the Phillies in free agency. The deal includes significant deferrals,” Bowden wrote.
The Philadelphia Phillies have quite a bit of money coming off the books at the end of this season. Because of this, they’ll be freed up to issue this kind of monumental contract to a superstar like Tucker.
But what about the Cubs?
The Cubs likely won’t come anywhere close to a 14-year deal or the $600 million figure. In fact, the Cubs have never issued a deal worth this kind of money in their storied history.
With the hypothetical deal including heavy deferred money, this could be very close to the actual contract Tucker signs at the end of the season. His free agency will be a very aggressive one.
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