Juan Soto’s move from the New York Yankees to the New York Mets in free agency was the most high-profile move ahead of the 2025 MLB season. His 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets is enough reason to attract all the spotlight, considering also that the whole move took place in the New York market.
However, the Chicago Cubs made a move to quietly but effectively add outfielder Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros. The move, which is much more measured, has good expectations. Tucker will play in Chicago this year and will earn $16.5 million before becoming a free agent, although he was already one of the most sought-after players on the market.
In fact, some experts say that next year, with similar performance to what he did in 2024, he could get a contract worth more than $400 million. “The numbers are crazy these days, but if he has a year like Tucker’s, how is it possible that he won’t reach $400 million or more?”
Some even claim that Tucker is better than Soto and, although it seems an exaggeration, the statistics show that they are not far from each other
The Cubs’ problem with Tucker
With this panorama, the big concern is precisely for the Cubs because they could go through a problem like the one the Yankees had with Soto in the offseason, when they simply could not get enough money to retain Soto and the team with the most money available came along to take him away
For this reason, Tucker is expected to have a great season with the Cubs in search of that big contract
In the case of the Astros, Chas McCormick is their possible secret weapon to fill the void left by Tucker, in a great opportunity to become the offensive leader of a team that has begun a deep rebuilding process
During the 2023 season, McCormick posted a solid .273 batting average with 22 home runs and 70 RBIs. He also had an OPS+ of 132, a good record, even with a slightly slow preseason
However, it is still in doubt whether he could be the complete replacement for Tucker. While in 2024 he had an MVP-caliber season until injuries slowed him down, like Tucker, he would also be looking for a high-caliber season as well. He is ready to take full advantage of next offseason, with the possibility of signing a $400 million contract. He just needs to make calculated moves to prove he’s ready for a bigger role.
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