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The Chicago Cubs had a very exciting offseason last year, headlined by the blockbuster trade with the Houston Astros that brought Kyle Tucker to the Windy City.
This season has been great for the Cubs, too, though they’ve fallen a bit behind in the National League Central. Still, the World Series remains within their reach, and it’s likely the Cubs will be among the favorites at the end of the regular season.
In the offseason, they will look to have another exciting couple of months.
Rich Eberwein of Cubbies Crib recently suggested that re-signing Tucker would be one of the Cubs’ top priorities of the offseason, and he couldn’t be more spot on.
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“Tucker’s skid in the power department is a concern since he only has one home run since the beginning of July. But the right fielder makes up for it in plate discipline, above-average defense in right field, and good base running instincts (24 steals this year),” Eberwein wrote. “The Cubs should obviously give the 28-year-old a contract extension, but the projected numbers make it extremely hard to believe that the team will pony up the cash.
“Insiders have speculated that Tucker’s eventual deal will land somewhere between $350-$500 million total. Even the lower end of that spectrum is considerably larger than the most lucrative contract the Cubs have dished out in team history (Jason Heyward $184 million).”
Re-signing Tucker is likely going to be the Cubs’ top priority this offseason, but with most outlets, including Spotrac, projecting him to sign for around $500 million, it doesn’t seem very likely.
Still, the Cubs have seemed a bit different this season than in the previous decade or so. Trading for a slugger like Tucker is out of character in itself. Re-signing him would be the blockbuster move that the fanbase desperately needs to see.
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