One of the biggest moves of the MLB offseason came on December 13th when the Cubs agreed to terms with the Houston Astros to land star outfielder Kyle Tucker. The Cubs acquired the lefty slugger in exchange for pitcher Hayden Wesneski, infielder Isaac Parades, and Top-100 prospect Cam Smith. While the trade was relatively cheap for a player of Tucker’s caliber it does not come with a lot of guarantees for the Cubs. Tucker is in the last year of his deal and is set to test the free agency market next offseason. The Cubs would certainly like to get an extension done before then. However, he may wish to test the open market and rebuff any Cubs offer before then.
Brought in to be the Star
But in the meantime, Tucker can hopefully become the true star the Cubs have yearned for since the departure of their World Series core. Last season in particular he was excellent slashing .289/.406/.585 for a .993 OPS. He also accumulated 4.7 bWAR in only 78 games. Tucker was never asked to be the “savior” of the Astros like he is the Cusb this year. Sure he was a phenomenal player, but with other stars including Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, and Carlos Correa, the Astros were hardly strapped for talent during his time as an Astro. It’s yet to be seen if Kyle Tucker can live up to the lofty expectations of Cubs fans.
While his track record in the big leagues indicates he is an elite hitter, he has not shown that as a Cub yet. In eighteen spring training plate appearances, he is yet to register a hit, is striking out 33% of the time, and has only recorded one RBI. In his last two seasons as an Astro, Tucker had an OPS of .952 and .924 in spring training. Those numbers dwarf his .167 mark so far this season. Hopefully, manager Craig Counsell will give Tucker plenty of at-bats to shake all the rust out of his system before the games start to matter.
An early start in Tokyo
It may sound irrational to panic over less than twenty plate appearances in spring training. And for the most part, I would agree with that. I don’t think Kyle Tucker suddenly lost his ability to hit a baseball the second he landed at O’Hare. However, it is fair to be worried that he doesn’t look ready for the season just yet. The Cubs and Dodgers start their season early, playing on Opening weekend in Tokyo in just two weeks.
That series will be an early test for the Cubs against the defending champs. It gives the Cubs a litmus test to see how they stack up against baseball’s finest. It will also be a chance for the Cubs to get some good momentum early in the season. The Cubs have had a bad habit of letting bad series snowball into a bad month in recent years. After the Tokyo series, the Cubs play on the road against the Athletics and Diamondbacks. Then they finally head back to Wrigley for their home opener on April 4th.
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