Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer spent some pre-game time Tuesday discussing Kyle Tucker and whether the team can get him to sign a contract extension before free agency. It’s all detailed in this article by Maddie Lee in the Sun-Times.
Here are some of the salient points.
But on Tuesday he acknowledged the obvious: “At some point” the Cubs will talk with three-time All-Star Kyle Tucker’s agent Casey Close about a possible extension.
“But ultimately, you have to go into that negotiation with a value [in mind],” Hoyer said before the Cubs’ 5-2 victory against the Guardians. “I think that you have to do that with any negotiation.”
COMMENT: What you’re thinking here is probably, “The Cubs won’t go over a certain number.” Okay, that’s possible, but this can also be read as a common negotiating tactic, saying publicly you’re not going to go over a certain dollar number. Hoyer continued:
“He’s been one of the best players in baseball this year, and he does so many things well, and I think he’s really had a significant impact on this offense,” Hoyer said. “Certainly you want to keep a player like that. You go into the negotiation wanting to keep him. But obviously you realize, at some point you must have your limits. Obviously we’ll keep all those things internal.”
COMMENT: I’m not sure what else you want Hoyer to say at this point. We are in the middle of a season where the Cubs seem likely to win the NL Central and, if some key additions are made to the roster, make a deep playoff run. That makes it more difficult to negotiate contract extensions of this type. Many players on the cusp of free agency say they don’t want to negotiate in-season, and I think you can understand that.
A recent notable exception to that is Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who signed a 14-year, $500 million extension with the Blue Jays about two weeks after the 2025 season began. Of course, Vlad Jr. had a long history with the Jays and perhaps felt more motivated to stay there than Tucker might with the Cubs, since Tucker has spent only half a season in blue pinstripes.
At the same time, Tucker should already realize how much he’s loved by Cubs fans, and one thing I do know about the Cubs organization is that they treat players and their families well. Those things aren’t nothing, though of course dollars are going to speak loudly for Tucker, who’s likely going to sign a big-money, long-term deal that might be his last MLB contract, depending on the length.
What Hoyer and Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts have to decide here is what sort of team and franchise they want going forward. Ricketts has to notice the full houses that have inhabited Wrigley Field for much of this year, with the team doing so well. The last crowd of under 33,000 happened May 7, and the Cubs have had at least 36,000 in Wrigley Field for each of the last 12 home games. The games this weekend against the Cardinals are likely sellouts, and the 39 Wrigley Field dates so far this year have averaged 36,438. There’s a real chance the Cubs could sell three million tickets for the first time since 2019.
So they’re making money. One way to stop that in its tracks would be to let Tucker walk and thus send a message that they’re not serious about building a long-term winner.
To date, the largest contract given by the Cubs was the one to Dansby Swanson for seven years and $177 million. Obviously, MLB deals now are dwarfing that total amount.
Whether it happens during the season or after, the Cubs should pony up and spend whatever it takes to keep Kyle Tucker with the team for the rest of his career. That would wind up making even more money for the Cubs. I’m not going to post suggested years and money here, though you are welcome to make proposals in the comments. The real answer is, “Whatever it takes.”
Get it done, Jed and Tom.
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