The Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros received praise for their respective returns in the Kyle Tucker trade.
The Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs pulled off the biggest trade of the offseason a couple of days ago. The deal included superstar outfielder Kyle Tucker leaving Houston to call Wrigley Field home next season. The Astros' return of infielder Isaac Paredes, pitcher Hayden Wesneski and third baseman Cam Smith was equally strong, especially since Tucker is heading into the final year of his current contract. Both teams received praise from the Athletic's Ken Rosenthal in his latest column.
“The consensus among a small sample of rival executives is that the Houston Astros did quite well for one year of Kyle Tucker, supplementing their major-league club with Isaac Paredes and righty Hayden Wesneski while also acquiring a top prospect, Cam Smith,” said Rosenthal in the piece.
With Tucker likely to test free agency next season, the Astros either had to move him now, or risk losing him for almost nothing next offseason. General manager Dana Brown deserves praise for engineering this return for the club. It still keeps them in contention, as Paredes will play every day, and Wesneski can contribute in either the rotation or bullpen. Smith was the Cubs' first round pick earlier this year, and could be “a monster,” according to an anonymous executive quoted in Rosenthal's article. The Astros know what they are losing in Tucker. Now the Cubs hope he can be just as impactful for them as he was in Space City.
Kyle Tucker looks to make big impact with Cubs
Once Juan Soto signed his record-breaking contract with the New York Mets, the rumors about Tucker began to intensify. For the majority of the work week, whispers about the New York Yankees and the Cubs chasing the stud outfielder swirled around the baseball world. Then, on Friday, the Cubs pulled it off. President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and the Cubbies' brass brought a superstar into the fold: Tucker would be plying his talents on Chicago's North Side in 2025, and hopefully longer.
For the Cubs, this is a big step back towards contention. The team steadily rebuilt after their win in the 2016 World Series. They are now ready to get back to regular contention. Manager Craig Counsell is considered one of the game's best and is now entering his second season at the helm of the storied franchise. The starting rotation is led by lefty Justin Steele and Japanese star Shota Imanaga, and just added righthander Matthew Boyd to the group on a two-year deal.
