Jon Heyman Cites Juan Soto As Reason Kyle Tucker Won't Sign Cubs Extension

Soto's megadeal is plenty of reason for Tucker to avoid extension talks.

Houston Astros right fielder Kyle Tucker (30) flicks his bat after hitting a home run against the Los Angeles Angels in the seventh inning at Minute Maid Park. / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs acquired talented 27-year-old outfielder Kyle Tucker on Friday afternoon, sending infielder Isaac Paredes, righthanded pitcher Hayden Wesneski and infield prospect Cam Smith to the Houston Astros in the trade.

Tucker is set to make around $18 million in arbitration this season before hitting free agency. It stands to reason that the Cubs would love to lock up the three-time All-Star as he enters his prime, but as MLB insider Jon Heyman lays out, that is highly unlikely to happen.

You don't need to look farther than the situation that unfolded with Juan Soto over the last few seasons to see why Tucker may wind up being a one-year rental for Chicago. Soto famously turned down a 15-year, $440 million offer from the Washington Nationals two years ago, prompting the team to trade him to the San Diego Padres, who in turn sent him to the New York Yankees for the final year of his contract. He would leave the Bronx after the New York Mets won a tight bidding war with a mammoth 15-year, $765 million deal.

"I don't see that one happening at all. Same with Soto, I'm sure he wants to head to free agency. He's come this far," Heyman said of Tucker when asked on a stream about a potential extension with the Cubs.

"I mean, the Cubs would probably want to talk about it and maybe they can make him an offer, but he just saw Juan Soto get $765 million. Cubs aren't going to play in anything like that category. I would be stunned if they even went to half of that. I don't know, but Tucker is an outstanding player. In free agency, he's going to get big, big bucks."

Don't expect a Kyle Tucker extension

(w/ @JonHeyman) pic.twitter.com/5ye7k1Twef

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) December 13, 2024

Tucker has been one of the best players in baseball since making his MLB debut in 2018. The outfielder has made three consecutive All-Star teams and was a second-team All-MLB player every year from 2021 to '23. He won a Gold Glove in '22, a Silver Slugger in '23 and was part of the Astros' 2022 World Series championship team.

Tucker has posted between 4.7 and 5.7 WAR in each of the last four seasons, with the lowest mark coming in '24 despite the fact that he was limited to 78 games due to a shin injury. He hit .289/.408/.585 with 23 home runs and 49 RBIs in that time.

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