CHICAGO (AP) — Kyle Tucker played his first major league games at Wrigley Field when the Houston Astros visited the Chicago Cubs in April. It was cold, he said, and a lot of fun.
“Those fans love their Cubs," Tucker said. "That’s kind of how it felt from, you know, the visiting side."
Now he will get to check it out from the home side.
The Cubs acquired Tucker in a trade last week, inserting the well-rounded star into a lineup in need of another dangerous bat. The right fielder was limited to 78 games this year because of a broken shin, but he still hit 23 homers and drove in 49 runs.
The price was considerable — third baseman Isaac Paredes, right-hander Hayden Wesneski and highly regarded prospect Cam Smith were shipped off to Houston — but Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer felt it was worth it. Even for a player who is eligible for free agency after the 2025 season.
“We have a lot of really good players on the team. We’re very balanced,” Hoyer said Tuesday in his first public comments since the trade. “But it did feel like we lacked, that kind of, consolidation of (wins above replacement), I would say, on our roster in one player. And obviously Tucker is just one of the best players in baseball, period.”
The trade for the three-time All-Star is Hoyer's boldest move — so far — since the Cubs went 83-79 this season and missed out on the playoffs for the fourth straight year. Matthew Boyd was added to the rotation when he finalized a $29 million, two-year contract on Dec. 7, and catcher Carson Kelly agreed to an $11.5 million, two-year deal last week.
Chicago had a surplus of outfielders after acquiring Tucker, so it traded Cody Bellinger to the New York Yankees on Tuesday. The Cubs also agreed to send the Yankees $5 million as part of the deal for right-hander Cody Poteet.
The move creates more financial flexibility for Chicago that it could use to shore up its bullpen, or possibly for a veteran infielder in case top prospect Matt Shaw isn't ready to fill its opening at third base just yet.
“It’s still early in the offseason,” Hoyer said before the Bellinger trade was announced. “And certainly there’s a lot of players out there, and our team’s not complete. ... We're not done.”
The catching situation appears set, with Kelly joining Miguel Amaya behind the plate. Matt Thaiss was traded to the White Sox on Tuesday for cash. The 29-year-old Thaiss had been obtained from the Los Angeles Angels on Nov. 20, also for cash.
Kelly played for Detroit and Texas this year, batting .238 with nine homers and 37 RBIs in 91 games. The 30-year-old Chicago native grew up rooting for the Cubs.
“It’s pretty special. I mean, my family grew up there,” Kelly said. “We moved when I was really young. But my dad grew up there. My mom grew up there. My uncle still lives there.”
The active offseason for Chicago comes with Hoyer going into the final year of his deal with the Cubs. But he dismissed the idea of that being a factor in his decision-making. He also declined to discuss the possibility of an extension for him with the team.
“My own situation like that, that’s not a concern. ... My job always is to be the best steward of the organization,” Hoyer said.
From Hoyer's perspective, that means making deals like the one for Tucker, one of baseball's best hitters since 2021. He batted .284 with 29 homers, an AL-best 112 RBIs and 30 steals in 2023.
Tucker, who turns 28 on Jan. 17, was at Houston teammate Myles Straw's wedding in Florida while the trade was coming together.
“Trying to deal with doing all the groomsmen stuff and getting prepared for their wedding while also trying to field some calls and whatnot on that day,” he said. “Kind of funny how that was all working out.”
Tucker had been with Houston since he was selected by the team with the No. 5 pick in the 2015 amateur draft. He played in three World Series with the Astros, winning it all in 2022.
On the brink of free agency, Tucker said he is open to talks with Chicago on a long-term deal. Hoyer also indicated the team was interested while promising to keep those conversations between Tucker's camp and the organization.
“Definitely Chicago’s, you know, great city to play in. Great city just in general," Tucker said. "So I’m open for anything.”
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Jay Cohen, The Associated Press
