The Cubs are betting big on Kyle Tucker for 2025, but keeping their new superstar beyond this season won’t come cheap.
Chicago made several moves aimed at ending their playoff drought, including trading for Tucker, a three-time All-Star slugger, and adding closer Ryan Pressly and veteran Justin Turner. Tucker immediately becomes the face of the franchise, but he’s only guaranteed to stay at Wrigley for one season.
The Cubs paid a hefty price to acquire Tucker from the Astros, sending Isaac Paredes, Hayden Wasneski and Cam Smith in the blockbuster deal. After earning $16.5 million in his final arbitration year, Tucker hits free agency after this season unless Chicago can lock him up long-term.
So what might it cost to keep the 28-year-old in Cubbie blue? It’s going to be expensive. A new projection from The Athletic’s Tim Britton puts Tucker’s potential extension at a staggering 11 years and $366 million.
“Tucker should be able to secure a deal through at least his age-36 season, and it’s not hard for him to argue he should go longer than either (Mark) Teixeira or (Prince) Fielder,” Britton wrote. “Let’s go with 10 years at about $35 million each before adding in this season’s salary… 2025 extension projection: 11 years, $366 million.”
That would make Tucker’s contract the third-largest in MLB history, trailing only Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani. It’s a sign of baseball’s exploding economics that Tucker’s projected deal would actually exceed Aaron Judge’s nine-year, $360 million Yankees contract from 2023 in total value, though Judge’s annual average remains higher.
For context, Judge had already been a four-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger and MVP before landing his mega-deal. Tucker hasn’t quite matched that resume, but with Ohtani and Soto both securing contracts in the $700 million range, the market has clearly shifted. If the Cubs want to extend their relationship with Tucker beyond a one-year fling, they’ll need to open the checkbook in a major way.
