The 15-year, $765 million contract Juan Soto signed with the New York Mets this past offseason is the standard bearer when it comes to lucrative MLB deals.
Another three players — Shohei Ohtani (10 years, $700 million with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (14 years, $500 million with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2025) and Mike Trout (12 years, $426.5 million with the Los Angeles Angels in 2019) — have all inked free-agent contracts or extensions worth north of $400 million.
Could a fifth player join that exclusive club before next season? According to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman, that answer is yes, with that player being Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker.
Tucker expected to land contract well in nine figures during free agency
During a Tuesday episode of MLB Central, Heyman placed Tucker atop his rankings of the top free agents in this year's class.
"He had that injury that set him back, and he wasn't himself for, really, almost a couple months. [He] didn't say anything about it; [it] finally leaked out. But [an] .853 OPS overall, he is one of the most, if not the most, consistent position player in baseball [with] 21 home runs," Heyman said. "Even though [Kyle] Schwarber is No. 1 in terms of who's had the best year, Kyle Tucker is the No. 1 free agent because he's still in his 20s."
Heyman mentioned that Guerrero Jr.'s extension will serve as a benchmark in Tucker's negotiations with interested clubs. But Heyman ultimately didn't believe that Tucker will fetch contract offers that large.
"I don't think he's going to get to $500 million, but I think $400 million might be realistic," Heyman said.
Through 133 games in his first season with the Cubs, Tucker has been hitting .270 with 22 home runs, 73 RBIs, 89 runs scored and 25 stolen bases.