Star outfielder Kyle Tucker is set to headline this winter's class of free agents after spending just one season with the Chicago Cubs.
Because of that, two of the defining questions of the offseason revolve around him: Where will he go? And how much money will he be paid?
Spotrac provided an answer to the latter question, giving a rough estimate of how much Tucker could field from rival clubs ahead of the 2026 campaign.
Tucker projected to earn $498 million over the duration of his new contract
Tucker signed a one-year, $16.5 million contract with the Cubs after the club acquired him in a trade with the Houston Astros in December. Spotrac projects that the next deal Tucker signs will pay him more than twice that amount each year for more than a decade.
According to Spotrac, Tucker's market value is worth $498,117,780 over a 12-year span, which equates to $41,509,815 per season. That represents a 251.6% increase in average annual pay as compared to his previous contract.
Such a deal would not only make Tucker the highest-paid player in this winter's free agent class (per Spotrac's projections), but it would also place him in exclusive company in MLB history. Only four players — Juan Soto, Shohei Ohtani, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Mike Trout — have ever signed free-agent deals or contract extensions worth $400 million or more.
It is also in line with what numerous analysts, including MLB Network insider Jon Heyman, predict Tucker, who has emerged as one of the sport's most consistent players, to earn.
Despite experiencing a slump immediately after the All-Star break, Tucker has put together a strong 2025 season at the plate for the Cubs. Through 133 games, he has a .270/.381/.472 slash line with 22 home runs, 73 RBIs and a 148 OPS+ (which is well above the league average of 100), according to Baseball Reference.
