The Chicago Cubs’ marriage with outfielder Kyle Tucker appears likely to be short-lived.
Tucker is thought to be seeking at least $300 million in free agency, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. That asking price will somewhat impact his market, as only a handful of teams would be willing and able to hand out that sort of contract.
In the same column, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers says the Cubs are likely to let Tucker walk. Passan adds that the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, and Philadelphia Phillies all make sense as potential landing spots.
A year ago, Tucker was probably looking at much more than $300 million on the open market, as he was coming off a career year. His season with the Cubs did not go as well, as he battled injuries and long stretches of poor production. He was even benched for a period of time to allow him to clear his head.
Despite that, Tucker still hit .266 with 22 home runs in 136 games, so even a down year for him is still very productive. Injuries are a concern, though he does not turn 29 until January.
At Tucker’s asking price, many of the usual suspects will likely be interested. He is still young enough and has enough of a history of production that it would be no surprise if he winds up getting that.
