The Chicago Cubs simply have to do something big this winter if they want any chance at the playoffs in 2025.
It's not that the Cubs, who have won 83 gams in back-to-back years, are a bad team. But they should be better in reality based on how solid the roster appears on paper, and the missing ingredient is one superstar player to put them over the top.
Kyle Tucker of the Houston Astros would be the cure to all of the Cubs' issues. He's a middle-of-the-order bat, a great outfielder and baserunner, and at 27 (soon to be 28), he's got a lot of prime years left to help try and lead Chicago to a championship.
It's a great potential trade target in theory, and all the buzz around baseball suggests that Tucker is at least somewhat available for the right price. But will the Cubs actually pull the trigger?
On Thursday, the Cubs were named one of the top four destinations for a Tucker trade in a piece by MLB.com insiders. Cubs beat reporter Jordan Bastian discussed the star right fielder's fit for Chicago:
"If the Cubs want to upgrade their offense for 2025, it's essential for them to explore the trade market," Bastian said. "And one thing Chicago has lacked in recent seasons is a star-caliber bat to anchor the middle."
"The Cubs have been open-minded to listening to trade offers for both Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki, among others. If one of those two were moved, it would clear a path for an impact bat, and clearly Tucker fits the profile. Beyond the MLB roster, the Cubs also have a surplus of Top 100 prospects to use in trade talks."
Acquiring Tucker is a massive risk if the team doing so doesn't believe it can work out an extension for him long-term. We saw Juan Soto leave the Yankees after just one year, and the two share an agent in Scott Boras.
Tucker's extension projection (via Spotrac) is seven years, $195 million. However, judging by the Soto contract, that number feels awfully low. Chicago would have to likely pony up in excess of $300 million to keep Tucker around.
Would they do so? It's tough to say, given the fact that Jason Heyward's $184 million deal is still the biggest in franchise history. But Tucker is the kind of player a team should do it for.