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Conflicting Reports About Cubs, Kyle Tucker ‘Discussing Possible Contract Extension’

Photo of Evan Altman Evan AltmanApril 11, 2025

I’m not yet sure whether to file this one under “Planting a flag in case something happens,” “Ambiguous language that could mean anything,” or “Legit smoke,” so let’s review a few things. Despite a mildly spotty track record, Mike Rodriguez has broken some contract news in the past and his reports should be lent a little credence. That said, it’s hard to know what to make of him saying the Cubs and Kyle Tucker “are already discussing a possible contract extension.”

First, it’s obvious the Cubs would like to engage the fine folks at Excel Sports Management in talks about securing the services of one of their biggest stars. Jed Hoyer is clearly very familiar with the agency that also counts Dansby Swanson, Jameson Taillon, and former Cubs Jason Heyward and Kyle Schwarber among its clients, but the far more pressing factor is that the Cubs have to at least perform a high degree of due diligence when it comes to keeping Tucker in the fold.

While this front office may prioritize secrecy even higher than getting value, which is really saying something, recent comments indicate a strong willingness to get more than one year out of the right fielder.

“Obviously, he’s a great player,” Jed Hoyer told reporters prior to Friday’s home opener. “That’s why we traded for him. Clearly he’s the type of player you want to build a lineup around, build a team around. Any conversations we have with him, we’ll keep internal…

“I’m excited, I think he’ll learn what Wrigley’s all about over the next few months, which I think is really important. There’ll be nicer days than this that he’ll enjoy. I’m excited to have him, and, like I said, anyone wants a player like that long term.”

Cubs GM Carter Hawkins echoed the sentiment about keeping conversations internal during a Thursday appearance on 670 The Score’s Mully & Haugh show, also calling Tucker “a player you want to build around.” Captain Obvious never blazed any new trails, so we’re not exactly exploring virgin territory here, but suffice to say this may be the organization’s last shot at a bona fide superstar for the foreseeable future. It could definitely be Hoyer’s final chance given his lame-duck status, and the failure to ink Tucker to a new deal should be the final sign that the Ricketts family is simply not interested in any monster contracts no matter how perfect the player might be for his team.

Tucker is probably the best fit in that regard since Bryce Harper, a player Tom Ricketts stated publicly he regrets letting get away. Hey, it only took him a few years to get to where the rest of us had been from the start. There have been and will be many other players tied to the Cubs, but their steadfast aversion to the top of the market — or, more specifically, to paying top players what it takes to sign them — is a feature rather than a glitch. Letting Tucker get to the open market means having to deal with what will most likely be an astronomical figure from a team or two far more willing than the Cubs to throw financial caution to the wind.

That doesn’t mean they’ll necessarily get a discount by offering an acceptable number right now, as it’ll cost a little to buy Tucker out of a chance to test the free agent waters. But just like clicking “Buy It Now” on that eBay item you can’t live without, sometimes it’s better to bite the bullet and pay a little extra to avoid bidding that could very well exceed your limit. And when it comes to Tucker, that could mean at least approaching the $500 million mark.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. just got that much over 14 years with the Blue Jays, and, while it’s not a direct comp due to age and other factors, Tucker’s camp will almost certainly try to leverage it in their favor. Lance Brozdowski of Marquee stated recently on the Cubs Daily Podcast that he’d spoken with someone at Excel who targeted 10 years and $475 million for Tucker. Whether that was the starting point for negotiations or the end goal isn’t known, though I’d put it at being more toward the latter if we used Aaron Judge‘s $40 million AAV as a decent comp.

Bringing it back around to the veracity of the report on conversations having taken place, I’m inclined to put this somewhere between planting a flag and ambiguous language. Since Rodriguez isn’t saying anything concrete, this strikes me as the kind of report that can later be used for street cred if a deal gets done or still being accurate but the numbers simply didn’t work out if, well, the numbers don’t work out.

For what it’s worth, Jesse Rogers told ESPN 1000 on Friday morning that he has heard no rumblings of talks taking place. Rather, the Cubs are biding their time to let Tucker fall in love with Chicago in the summer. To put myself in the Rodriguez camp, that’s something I’ve said all along. There are plenty of ways to improve value beyond just the number of zeroes on the check, and giving Tucker a chance to see what it’s like to be a superstar during what could be a very fun few months of baseball on the North Side carries weight.

Update: Folks, it appears we’ve got a source-off brewing. For what it’s worth, we’re hearing the same things as Rogers on this one.

Update 2: So, maybe the smoke here is a little more legit than we’d first believed. A report from Hector Gomez has the Cubs and Tucker discussing a 10-11-year deal worth $450-500 million with no deferred money or opt-outs, plus a full no-trade clause. That’s awfully specific and we’ve also got reason to believe perhaps these reports are more accurate than what Rogers has shared.

Stay tuned…

Photo of Evan Altman Evan AltmanApril 11, 2025
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