This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
ST. LOUIS -- When Kyle Tucker takes the field at Daikin Park on Friday night, the Cubs outfielder will hardly need an introduction. Astros fans witnessed him blossom into a superstar in Houston, and the image of him catching the final out of the 2022 World Series will forever be a part of the team’s history.
Expect the fans on hand in Houston to give Tucker a warm response when he makes his return.
“It’d be nice,” Tucker said. “We had a lot of success over there for however long. I had a lot of great years and great memories over there, so I’m looking forward to being back in Houston, and just kind of playing the series.”
Tucker remembers seeing George Springer and Gerrit Cole make return trips to Houston as visiting players and witnessing the reaction from the home fans. The Cubs outfielder thinks he knows what to expect, but it will nonetheless have the makings of an emotional moment after spending seven seasons with the Astros.
In his time in Houston, Tucker grew into a three-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner, finishing fifth in American League MVP voting in the ‘23 campaign. He played in two Wild Card Series, five AL Division Series, five AL Championship Series and three Fall Classics with the Astros.
“It’ll be fun. It’ll be a good experience,” Tucker said. “Obviously, the first time back, so it’ll be cool to see the guys and catch up with them. But, we’re also there to play against them, so I’m a little more focused on that.”
On Dec. 13, the Cubs made the aggressive move to acquire Tucker from the Astros in exchange for Isaac Paredes, Cam Smith and Hayden Wesneski. With the 28-year-old Tucker only under team control through ‘25 – setting him up for free agency in the coming offseason – it was a playoffs-or-bust move by the Cubs’ front office.
So far, the trade has paid off for the North Siders.
Tucker has been playing at an elite level, hitting .291/.399/.534 (.933 OPS) with 16 home runs and 49 RBIs in 79 games for the National League Central-leading Cubs. He has been entrenched in the second slot of Chicago’s lineup, which has been one of the top offensive units in the Majors this season.
The question hanging over the Cubs is whether the front office can ink Tucker to a long-term extension rather than see him leave via the open market.
“We’re just going to keep that between us,” Tucker said of any extension talks with president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer. “If anything happens, I’m sure you guys will know.”
Tucker added that, “it’s been a great organization that I’ve been a part of this year.” And the star outfielder believes the Cubs do have the makings of a team that can not only contend for the rest of this season, but in the coming years.
“Yeah, I always see our ranking for the Minor Leaguers and all the prospects and stuff,” Tucker said. “We’ve got a lot of young guys here that have played really well and I think they’re going to continue that throughout their careers. So, I think there is a good foundation here for success not just this year, but afterwards.”