Philadelphia Phillies Among Best Fits for Houston Astros Star Kyle Tucker

The Philadelphia Phillies have been mentioned as one of the best fits for Houston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker.

Nov 2, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Houston Astros right fielder Kyle Tucker (30) hits a double against the Philadelphia Phillies during the second inning in game four of the 2022 World Series at Citizens Bank Park. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies have been connected to a lot of the top names available this offseason, whether in free agency or via trade.

However, they have yet to truly join the fray, with their only addition at the Winter Meetings to this point being free agent reliever Jordan Romano, formerly of the Toronto Blue Jays.

It was shocking to hear the Phillies didn’t even have a meeting with Juan Soto, as many believed they would be among the best fits for him. Not only did he not land in Philadelphia, he joined their National League East rivals, the New York Mets, who won their NLDS matchup two months ago.

To this point, there has been a lot of speculation surrounding the franchise.

They are one of several teams who are in the market for relief help with Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez both free agents. Romano’s signing shouldn’t take them out of the running for at least one more addition, as depth is needed behind their top trio of Jose Alvardo, Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering.

On the trade market, the Phillies are one of the teams who have been connected in some capacity to Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox. They have also made All-Star third baseman Alec Bohm available and are showing some interest in moving Nick Castellanos and Ranger Suarez.

Sooner rather than later, they will make a splash to ensure they can keep up with the Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL.

Could that splash be Kyle Tucker of the Houston Astros?

The star right fielder has been a topic of discussion at the Winter Meetings, as no one is off limits from trade talks on the Astros roster. There is, however, some varying opinions on just how badly Houston wants to trade their young slugger.

It isn’t the Astros' MO to trade away players nearing free agency; they hold onto them and try to contend and let the chips fall where they will once the offseason rolls around.

But if they change their mind with Tucker, David Schoenfield of ESPN believes Philadelphia is a great fit for him.

“The Phillies signed reliever Jordan Romano this week, but it feels like Dave Dombrowski is itching to do something bigger to perhaps shake up a roster that has been pretty static over the past two years. There are rumors Philadelphia could deal away Alec Bohm, and adding Tucker to the middle of the lineup would be a huge addition to an offense that struggled in the playoffs against the Diamondbacks in 2023 and the Mets in 2024.”

In only 78 games this past year, Tucker was playing at an MVP level, recording a 4.7 WAR. He had a slash line of .289/.408/.585 with 13 doubles, 23 home runs, 49 RBI and 11 stolen bases.

This came on the heels of a 2023 campaign in which he led the American League with 112 RBI, finished fifth in the MVP voting and won the Silver Slugger Award.

Adding him into a lineup alongside Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner and Bryce Harper is the exact kind of splash the team needs to keep pace with their toughest competition in the NL.