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Rival Executives Say That Houston Astros "Did Very Well" in Trade of Kyle Tucker

The Astros shockingly dealt All-Star Kyle Tucker on Friday, but the return is being supported by those in the game.

Brady Farkas

Chicago Cubs pitcher Hayden Wesneski (19) throws against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Busch Stadium on July 13.
Chicago Cubs pitcher Hayden Wesneski (19) throws against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Busch Stadium on July 13. / Jeff Le-Imagn Images
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On Friday, the Houston Astros shocked the baseball world by trading All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs for a package of three players. Tucker, a perennial 30-homer and 100-RBI man when healthy, will now help the Cubs try to re-position themselves as favorites in the National League Central.

As for the Astros, they appear to have gotten worse for the 2025 season as they work to stay atop the American League West. In addition to losing Tucker, the team could also lose Alex Bregman in free agency. Part of the reason they traded Tucker, it would seem, is because they don't want to lose Tucker in free agency next offseason when he commands a mega-deal.

However, according to Ken Rosenthal of 'The Athletic,' rival executives think that the Astros did well in their return for Tucker.

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.

The 25-year-old Paredes hit .238 last season with 19 homers and 80 RBI while playing for both the Rays and the Cubs. He's a dead-pull hitter who should benefit greatly from playing with the Crawford Boxes. Smith is a third base prospect who is ranked as the No. 7 prospect in the organization, per MLB.com.

Wesneski is 27 years old and is 9-13 lifetime on the mound with a 3.93 ERA. He could slot into a rotation that has lost Justin Verlander (thus far) in free agency. The Astros are also rumored to be open to trading Framber Valdez, which could create more opportunity.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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