Last winter, the Chicago Cubs acquired Kyle Tucker in a trade with the Houston Astros. They sent Isaac Paredes, Hayden Wesneski, and Cam Smith to Houston for the four-time All-Star.
He has been a key contributor to the team's success this season. He has played in 133 games this year, hitting .270/.381/.472 with 25 doubles, 22 home runs, and 73 runs batted in.
However, he will be a free agent when this season comes to an end. The Cubs will make it a priority to re-sign him, but so will a lot of other teams looking to bring in a star outfielder.
Cubs face an 'uphill battle' to keep star slugger in Chicago
Kyle Tucker will receive a big contract this offseason. It is just a matter of which team will open up its checkbook and be the best fit for the former Gold Glove winner.
However, the Cubs likely did not trade for him last winter just to see him walk this winter. Sports Illustrated's Zach Pressnell argues that retaining Tucker would greatly benefit the organization's future..
"Chicago likely wouldn't have traded for the slugger if it didn't believe it could re-sign him. This is going to be an uphill battle, as Tucker is projected to sign for between $400 million and $500 million on the open market. The Cubs have never given out a deal like this, but it would be the perfect time to do so. Signing Tucker to a deal for eight or 10 years would alter the future of the franchise in Chicago."
The biggest contract the Cubs have ever sent out was an eight-year, $184 million deal to get Jason Heyward. If they want to keep Tucker in Chicago after the season, they will have to give out a franchise-record deal.