The Chicago Cubs made a bold move and acquired Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros last offseason. While Tucker started off the season looking like an MVP candidate, things have taken a turn.
Tucker had a .291/.395/.537 slash line through the end of June. However, since then, he is hitting .225 with a .689 OPS. He is reportedly playing through a fracture in his hand, but has not used that as an excuse for his lack of production as of late.
Tucker is going to be a free agent after the season and figures to be one of the best available players. He is a four-time All-Star, but a poor second half is potentially affecting his free agency. He still figures to have plenty of interest.
Tucker was seen as the prize of this free agent class before his extended slump. He still may be if teams think his injury is the root cause of his struggles. However, Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly predicted the Cubs would not let him leave and keep him around.
“Given president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer seems to be more on the conservative side of things, it’s possible a team like the Yankees comes in and makes an offer the Cubs don’t want to match,” wrote Kelly. “But this is a major-market team that has been criticized for not acting like that in recent years. They need to get this one right.”
Tucker is not going to be cheap. He is projected to earn a $500 million deal in free agency, and would likely have double-digit years tied to that. Spending big on Tucker would be a move that defines the future of the Cubs franchise.
While Tucker’s track record shows that his struggles should likely be seen as an outlier, his numbers at Wrigley Field are concerning. He has a .237 batting average at home this year and a .292 average on the road. 15 of his 21 home runs have come on the road as well.
If the Cubs are going to commit to Tucker like Kelly predicts, they will need to identify what is causing his numbers at home to be so different and if it is just a case of some bad luck.
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