Astros looking like big winners of Kyle Tucker trade to Cubs after Dodgers contract

Contributor
Billy Heyen
Astros looking like big winners of Kyle Tucker trade to Cubs after Dodgers contract image

The Houston Astros decided last offseason to trade Kyle Tucker with a year remaining on his contract.

A lot has happened since then. Tucker was sent to the Chicago Cubs, who had him in a season hampered by injury, and now Tucker has left in free agency for the Los Angeles Dodgers and an absurd four-year, $240 million contract.

The Astros can't be feeling too bad about their end of the stick.

They got Isaac Paredes, Cam Smith and Hayden Wesneski in the trade.

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Paredes delivered as advertised with impressive power. The Astros actually appear to be considering a trade of him now, but that would just extend the asset roots originally stemming from Tucker.

Smith showed flashes in his rookie season of a guy who could be a superstar if everything clicks right. If Smith pans out even a bit, the Astros were clear winners of the Tucker trade.

Wesneski is a reliable right-handed starting pitcher and still just 28 years old, so not a bad guy for Houston to have around, either.

If the Astros didn't see themselves keeping Tucker long term, it was a great haul in return for what amounted to a one-year rental for the Cubs.

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Chicago ended up trading away those three pieces for Tucker, getting a less-than-ideal year from him, and then watching him walk away for nothing.

It was a bit surprising on principle that the Cubs didn't seek to keep Tucker after making the trade just a year ago, but evidently Chicago didn't see itself going to the price the Dodgers paid.

So the Cubs are now empty-handed, while the Astros have plenty of evidence of a solid trade.

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