New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs Interested in Trading For Houston Astros' Kyle Tucker

The Houston Astros could be open to moving All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker this winter, giving the New York Yankees a top trade target after losing Juan Soto in free agency.

May 25, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Houston Astros right fielder Kyle Tucker (30) at bat before hitting a sacrifice fly to send in a run Oakland Athletics during the sixth inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown made headlines Monday when he said he would listen to trade offers for every player on his team, including All-Stars Kyle Tucker and Framber Valdez.

Within a matter of hours, the New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs became two teams linked to Tucker, a three-time All-Star heading into his age 28 season. Even on an expiring contract, Tucker carries a ton of value, considering the outfielder is one of the most effective position players of the 2020s thus far.

MLB Network's Jon Morosi spoke about Tuckers' trade market at the Winter Meetings on Tuesday, though, and made it clear that a deal is far from imminent.

"The Yankees do like Kyle Tucker, the Cubs do like Kyle Tucker, but the Astros still like Kyle Tucker as well," Morosi said. "So at the moment, there is still a higher chance of Kyle Tucker being an Astro on Opening Day than being elsewhere."

On the other hand, Morosi added that the high price for free agents could force teams to look to the trade block instead, increasingly the likelihood of Tucker getting moved.

.@jonmorosi has the latest on the Astros reportedly receiving heavy trade interest in OF Kyle Tucker.#MLBNHotStove presented by @CohnReznick pic.twitter.com/Fl2apMzt60

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) December 10, 2024

The Yankees certainly have money to spend after Juan Soto opted to join the New York Mets on a 15-year, $765 million contract on Sunday.

Perhaps some of that cash could be set aside for Tucker, who MLB Trade Rumors projects to earn $15.8 million in arbitration in 2025. Spotrac has calculated the market value for his impending extension to be $195.3 million over seven years.

And while Soto hit .288 with a .989 OPS in 2024, Tucker hit .289 with a .993 OPS.

"He is not Juan Soto, but when you think about the Yankees' interest in Tucker, he could help them replace the production they lost in Juan Soto," Morosi said. "And for that that reason – and Dana Brown acknowledging yesterday that he'll listen on everybody, including Tucker and Framber Valdez – definitely got the attention of a lot of people in this lobby last night."

Of course, injuries limited Tucker to 78 games this season, so his 23 home runs, 49 RBI and 4.7 WAR paled in comparison to Soto's 41 homers, 109 RBI and 7.9 WAR. Plus, the Yankees may be hesitant to trade away significant assets for a pending free agent after what happened with Soto.

The Cubs' interest in Tucker doesn't make quite as much sense on the surface, since most rumors surrounding the club this winter have had to do with their overflowing outfield depth chart.

Ian Happ, Cody Bellinger, Seiya Suzuki and Pete Crow-Armstrong are all in place already, not even taking into account top prospects Kevin Alcántara, Owen Caissie and Alexander Canario. While Bellinger has been at the center of trade talks himself as of late, immediately replacing him with Tucker does not seem like part of their master plan.

Still, Tucker has made three All-Star appearances in a row. He won a Gold Glove in 2022 and a Silver Slugger in 2023, finishing fifth in AL MVP voting that year as well.

Tucker is a lifetime .274 hitter with an .870 career OPS, having averaged 33 home runs, 111 RBI, 25 stolen bases and a 6.4 WAR per 162 games since September 2019.

For comparison, Soto has averaged 35 home runs, 103 RBI, 10 stolen bases and a 6.6 WAR per 162 games in that same span. Bellinger has averaged 30 home runs, 97 RBI, 15 stolen bases and a 3.8 WAR.

The Cubs could move Bellinger to first base, stick Suzuki at designated hitter and start Tucker alongside Happ and Crow-Armstrong, so a trade between Chicago and Houston certainly remains a possibility. First baseman Michael Busch could very well be sent back to the Astros as part of the swap, making that defensive realignment possible.

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