Cubs plan to keep Tucker, but Hoyer wary of competition
Kyle Tucker's all-star selection doesn't make his future with the Cubs any more or less complicated.
Tucker was already set to command a massive deal in free agency this winter. The Cubs plan to re-sign him, but president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer did offer a warning Tuesday that may leave fans a bit queasy.
“Listen, you certainly want to keep a player like that,” Hoyer said. “Maybe you go into the negotiation trying to keep him, but obviously you realize, at some point, you must have your limits.”
Yes, it's always possible the Cubs get outbid. But their current payroll is about $40 million below last year, so they've cleared a spot for him. They may decide to move on from Ian Happ or Seiya Suzuki after 2026 or sooner, but the Cubs are certainly set up to make Tucker a competitive offer.
“Obviously, we'll keep all those things internal,” Hoyer said. “Ultimately you have to go into that negotiation with a value. I think that you have to do that with any negotiation and I don't think that changes anything.”
The question this winter may be more about the competition than what the Cubs do. The Mets gave Juan Soto a 15-year, $765 million deal last year, which means they probably won't make a run at Tucker.
But maybe the Yankees, who missed out on re-signing Soto; or the Red Sox, who just sent Rafael Devers to San Francisco, will bring the big bucks. Most observers don't expect Tucker to approach the Soto contract numbers, since he's roughly two years older.
“We've kept our books unbelievably clean in the future,” Hoyer said, referring to a lack of long-term contracts. The Cubs have just four players signed through 2027 — Dansby Swanson, Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd and Carson Kelly. Boyd and Kelly both have mutual options for '27.
“We also have a significant amount of talent that is up after 2026. So I think there's a double-edged sword to really clean books. But that is something that's been a significant priority for us, and I think that gives us real flexibility moving forward.”
Boyd eyes ASG:
Left-hander Matthew Boyd has a decent chance to earn his first all-star appearance. After beating Cleveland on Tuesday, he ranks sixth in National League ERA. Pitchers and reserves will be announced Sunday.
“That would be quite an honor,” Boyd said after the game. “It would be something that would be really special.”
Boyd, 34, is in his 11th big-league season. But his 17 starts this year are already the most he's had since 2019, due to a number of injuries.
“When I first got hurt in 2021, I knew my best was still ahead of me,” Boyd said. “Unfortunately, there was quite some time before I was healthy. I'm grateful to be healthy, grateful to be out there and my mind is solely on competing and I'm grateful that I get to do that in a Cubs uniform.”
Around the horn:
According to OptaStats, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker are the first set of MLB teammates to have 30 extra-base hits and 20 stolen bases heading into July since 1922, when George Sisler and Ken Williams of the St. Louis Browns did it. … Wednesday was the 12-year anniversary of the trade that brought Jake Arrieta and Pedro Strop from Baltimore for Scott Feldman.