The Cubs pulled off an enormous deal final week, buying outfielder Kyle Tucker from the Cubs in change for third baseman Isaac Paredes, right-hander Hayden Wesneski and prospect Cam Smith. President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer spoke to members of the media at the moment (together with Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune, Bruce Levine of 670 The Score and Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times), addressing Tucker and the membership’s nook infield choices.
Whereas Tucker is an enormous improve for the 2025 workforce, he’s set to be a free agent after that. Meaning he doesn’t at present present the Cubs any worth past the upcoming season, other than the additional draft decide they’d obtain if he rejects a qualifying supply at season’s finish after which indicators elsewhere.
The Cubs may all the time change that future by signing Tucker to an extension, one thing that Hoyer touched upon a bit. “I don’t know what the longer term holds,” he stated. “However clearly Chicago sells itself rather well. And so, I’m excited to deliver him in for this yr, and we’ll see the place it goes past that. However clearly this was the sort of participant that we lacked.”
It’s truthful to imagine that the Cubs would like to have Tucker past simply the one yr. They clearly worth the participant extremely, primarily based on the robust bundle of expertise they gave up only for that one season, plus the aforementioned QO compensation. Tucker himself additionally spoke at the moment (per Levine) and stated he’s open to having talks earlier than he hits the open market.
Whereas it’s good that Tucker is open to having talks, agreeing on a worth level may be a problem. Tucker has been one of many higher gamers in baseball lately and is slated to hit free company forward of his age-29 season. To get a very good participant to signal an extension simply earlier than hitting free company forward of his thirtieth birthday isn’t low cost, as proven in MLBTR’s Contract Tracker. Some current examples embrace $365MM for Mookie Betts, $341MM for Francisco Lindor and $313.5MM for Rafael Devers.
It’s a considerably related scenario to the one which simply performed out between Juan Soto and the Yankees. He was acquired from the Padres with one yr remaining earlier than hitting free company, stated he was open to contract talks at any time, however in the end turned a free agent and signed a mega cope with the Mets.
With the Cubs, it’s arguably even much less prone to get completed. Tucker’s incomes energy isn’t as excessive as Soto’s however the Cubs have by no means given out offers even to that Betts/Lindor/Devers stage. Jason Heyward’s $184MM deal remains to be the biggest in franchise historical past, though it’s virtually a decade previous at this level. Since Hoyer took over, the membership’s largest deal has been $177MM for Dansby Swanson, the one time he’s gone larger than $85MM. Maybe they’re prepared to interrupt that sample for Tucker, who they clearly like, however it will doubtless require them to successfully double the Heyward/Swanson offers.
Hoyer additionally addressed the third base scenario at Wrigley, as buying and selling Paredes created a gap there. It has been anticipated that the membership could be prepared to present prospect Matt Shaw to take that spot. Hoyer appears to be open to that coming to cross, saying that Shaw would get a “lengthy look”, although he wouldn’t simply name it a completed deal. “He has to earn that job,” Hoyer stated. “I’m not going to reward him that on a convention name in the midst of December.” That’s a good place to take. Although Shaw has carried out very effectively within the minors, even the perfect prospects can battle when first known as as much as the majors, so nothing might be taken as a right. Chosen thirteenth total final summer time, Shaw has slashed .303/.384/.522 to this point in 159 minor league video games throughout totally different ranges. That features a line of .298/.395/.534 in 35 Triple-A video games to complete his 2024 season, so there’s undoubtedly an argument for him cracking the majors to start out 2025.
However since there’s no assure he’ll hit the bottom working, the Cubs might want to have backup plans. The Cubs had six gamers spend a minimum of 85 innings at third this yr, however Miles Mastrobuoni is the one one of many six left on the roster. As talked about, Paredes was within the Tucker deal. The Cubs traded Christopher Morel to the Rays as a way to purchase Paredes within the first place. Nick Madrigal and Patrick Wisdom have been non-tendered at season’s finish. David Bote was outrighted off the roster in August.
Infielder Gage Workman was simply grabbed from the Tigers within the Rule 5 draft, so he has a roster spot for now, however he doesn’t have any main league nor any Triple-A expertise. Ben Cowles and Luis Vázquez are different multi-positional infielders at present on the 40-man. Maybe the Cubs will have a look at including to that group by signing a veteran utility man, whether or not that’s to a modest main league deal or a minor league pact.
One factor that’s apparently not into consideration is transferring Michael Busch throughout the diamond. The membership had an outfield logjam however Cody Bellinger can play first, so it was theoretically potential for them to open that spot for Bellinger by transferring Busch to the recent nook, a place the place he has 99 1/3 innings of main league expertise. However Busch bought robust grades for his first base protection this yr and Hoyer prompt their focus could be preserving him there. Bellinger was traded to the Yankees after Hoyer’s feedback this afternoon.
Unrelated to Hoyer’s feedback, there was one other Cubs tidbit of be aware this week. Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic report that the membership has thought of the potential for stretching out right-hander Nate Pearson as a starter.
There’s some advantage to the plan however it could be tough to drag off. Pearson was a beginning pitching prospect of be aware with the Blue Jays earlier than accidents pushed him right into a reduction function. As not too long ago as July, he expressed an interest in returning to a rotation function, shortly earlier than he was traded to the Cubs.
Bullpen-to-rotation conversions have been all the trend currently. Some current success tales have included Michael King, Seth Lugo, Reynaldo López, Garrett Crochet and others. It doesn’t all the time work, with the A.J. Puk experiment one try that didn’t pan out, however golf equipment appear to be heat to the concept. The Mets have signed Clay Holmes with a plan of stretching him out subsequent yr and there have been some stories suggesting Jeff Hoffman would possibly get a rotation gig subsequent yr as effectively.
With Pearson, it’s powerful to see a path subsequent yr. The Cubs have already got Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, Matthew Boyd, Jameson Taillon and Javier Assad within the rotation, with reported curiosity in Jesús Luzardo of the Marlins as effectively. Additionally they have Jordan Wicks, Ben Brown, Cade Horton and different potential starters round, so all these guys may not go away loads of room for Pearson to get huge league begins. As such, Mooney and Sharma admit that Pearson is more than likely to stay in a reduction function subsequent yr.
Baseball
Jed Hoyer Discusses Kyle Tucker, Nook Infield Plans
The Cubs pulled off a huge deal last week, acquiring outfielder Kyle Tucker from the Cubs in exchange for third baseman Isaac Paredes , right-hander Hayden Wesneski and prospect Cam Smith . President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer spoke to members of the media today (including Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune, Bruce Levine of


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