The last few days have been a wild ride at the Winter Meetings, from Juan Soto signing the biggest deal in baseball history to Max Fried getting the largest deal ever for a left-handed pitcher, but it appears as though we've just scratched the surface.
A recent report by Ken Rosenthal and Chandler Rome of The Athletic revealed that the Astros are deep in talks to trade star outfielder Kyle Tucker. What's more: the top two suitors appear to be the Chicago Cubs and the New York Yankees.
Preliminary Kyle Tucker trade talks between the Astros and Cubs involve both Isaac Paredes and Seiya Suzuki, sources tell me and @Chandler_Rome: https://t.co/kBWyu1ELia
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 11, 2024
What will Tucker cost in a trade?
The reported asking price for Tucker, 27, appears to be an established major league player, a quality prospect, and at least one high-upside youngster that is on the precipice of breaking out.
Regarding the Cubs, that package supposedly works out to outfielder Seiya Suzuki, third baseman Isaac Paredes, and 2024 first-round pick Cam Smith. That'd be a hefty price to pay for a player going into their walk year ahead of free agency, but Tucker is that good, and this trade would alleviate some of the roster-crunch conerns on the North Side.
The Yankees apparently have floated reigning AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil in trade talks, and it wouldn't be surprising if they included Jorbit Vivas as a third base option for the Astros, who could be preparing to lose Alex Bregman in free agency.
Tucker, who will turn 28 before Opening Day 2025, has a career .870 OPS, won a Gold Glove in 2022, and finished fifth in AL MVP voting in 2023. Though he missed half of last year with a shin fracture, he was well on his way to a career season, hitting 23 home runs, posting a .993 OPS, and earning 4.7 WAR in just 78 games played.
There are few players in the sport with his combination of consistency and upside, and — assuming he can put the shin injury behind him this offseason — is a great bet to be a perennial MVP contributor.
One wrinkle in negotiations will be Tucker's impending free agency. Any team that acquires him will surely want to sign him to an extension, and with the prices that we've seen on the free agent market this offseason, that number could explode towards $300 million over nearly a decade.
Of course, both the Cubs and Yankees can afford a contract of that magnitude, though Chicago has yet to hand out even a $200 million deal, and the Yankees already roster four players on contracts in excess of that same mark. It will be fascinating to see if Tucker is willing to agree to an extension before his chance to incite a bidding war in free agency.
Negotiations have picked up steam over the last 36 hours, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see Tucker traded in the coming days.