Inside The Cubs

Pressure Already Mounting on Cubs To Extend Red-Hot Superstar

The Chicago Cubs need to extend Kyle Tucker ASAP, before it's too late.

Tyler Maher

Mar 15, 2025; Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan; Chicago Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker (30) bats against the Hanshin Tigers during the seventh inning at Tokyo Dome.
Mar 15, 2025; Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan; Chicago Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker (30) bats against the Hanshin Tigers during the seventh inning at Tokyo Dome. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
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Kyle Tucker has only played a few games for the Chicago Cubs, but he's already making a tremendous first impression.

After homering in a career-high four straight games, Tucker leads MLB in several offensive categories entering play on Wednesday, including hits (12), doubles (five), RBI (11), total bases (29) and WAR (0.9). He's also batting .353/.450/.853 with four homers, one stolen base and six walks through eight games, proving that his spring training slump was nothing to worry about.

The slugging outfielder is making an early case for NL MVP, but there's one problem for the Cubs: he's in a contract year.

With Tucker set to reach free agency after the season, he's becoming more expensive by the day. Based on recent contracts given to Juan Soto, Shohei Ohtani and others, it wouldn't be surprising to see him net upwards of $500 million this winter.

It's becoming increasingly obvious that Chicago can't afford to lose him. Not only is the three-time All-Star one of the bet players in baseball, but he's also a World Series champ who's squarely in his prime. At 28, he's capable of anchoring a lineup and leading a team to the playoffs for years to come.

The Cubs haven't had a true superstar or face of the franchise in awhile, and their fans have already embraced him. Letting him leave Chicago would be incredibly unpopular among the fanbase and damaging to the team's brand, not to mention a terrible baseball move.

What's more, the Cubs gave up a ton to get Tucker, so there's even more pressure on them to keep him around. They sent All-Star infielder Isaac Paredes and top prospect Cam Smith to the Houston Astros for him in December -- a trade that will go down as an umitigated catastrophe if they only get one year of Tucker in return.

Tucker has indicated that he's open to an extension, but time is running out. Chicago's leverage will only decrease if he stays healthy and keeps performing at a high level, and there's also the risk that he changes his mind and decides to wait until free agency.

The Cubs are one of the richest teams in baseball and can afford to lock him up, so there's no reason not to. Tucker will be expensive, but he's worth it. Besides, it's better to pay him now than risk losing him in a bidding war with the New York Yankees, New York Mets or Los Angeles Dodgers.

The clock is ticking.

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Tyler Maher
TYLER MAHER

Tyler grew up in Massachusetts and is a huge Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox. He went to Tufts University and played club baseball for the Jumbos. Since graduating, he has worked for MLB.com, The Game Day, FanDuel and Forbes. When he's not writing about baseball, he enjoys running, traveling, and playing fetch with his golden retriever.

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