Newly Chicago Cubs Star Outfielder Will No Longer Be 'Underappreciated'

After being acquired by the Chicago Cubs, the star outfielder will no longer be playing in the shadow of others.

Sep 24, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros right fielder Kyle Tucker (30) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Seattle Mariners in the fourth inning at Minute Maid Park. / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

It has been a very busy offseason for the Chicago Cubs with the franchise looking to snap their playoff drought.

For the last two years, the Cubs have been good, but not great.

With 83-win seasons in consecutive years, Chicago came into the winter looking to make a splash. While some thought it might be in free agency, it ended up being a massive trade that did the trick.

Now, expectations are much higher for the Cubs heading into 2025.

Making the playoffs and winning the NL Central should certainly be the top priorities. However, there is still some work to be done if they want to truly contend in what is a really good National League overall.

Will Leitch of MLB.com recently spoke about some players who could define the season for their team, and for the Cubs, it was their newly acquired star, Kyle Tucker who received the nod.

He highlighted that while Tucker may have been underappreciated with the Houston Astros, he will be a full-blown star in Chicago.

“His arrival instantly makes the Cubs the favorites in the NL Central, and the regulars at the Friendly Confines are going to love him. For years we’ve been saying he’s underrated, underappreciated, even under-seen. That’s not going to be a problem when he’s wearing a Cubs uniform.”

The move to bring in Tucker seemingly came about fairly quickly for the Cubs.

After Juan Soto signed his megadeal with the New York Mets, the Astros seemingly realized they wouldn’t be able to keep Tucker long-term with him being a free agent at the end of the year.

Since Chicago had the prospects and depth in their organization to get a deal done, they now have the star the franchise has been searching for.

However, this does come with some risk.

Since the talented slugger is entering the final year of his contract, they are taking a chance that this might just be a one-year rental. When seeing the type of money that Soto received, the Cubs would likely need to make a major financial commitment to keep him long-term.

When looking at 2025, the All-Star could be the missing piece for Chicago.

Last season, despite missing about half the year, he totaled a .289 batting average, 23 home runs, and had an on-base percentage above .400.

Even though he might not have been a household name in Houston, Tucker is a true star in this league. With a WAR over 4.5 in each of the last four campaigns, few outfielders in the league can do what he can at both the plate and in the field.