The Chicago Cubs failed to put the cherry on top of their strong offseason when they failed to land free agent Alex Bregman, but they had already pulled off two high-profile trades to upgrade their roster earlier in the winter.
Kyle Tucker was the shocking one.
After rumors started circulating that the Houston Astros might trade him, Jed Hoyer wasted little time making a move to bring one of the best outfielders in the game to the Cubs.
It was an aggressive decision, and one that completely changed the outlook for this team in 2025.
Chicago is not only expected to win their division for the first time in five years, but there are some out there who expect them to at least reach the Division Series based on the amount of talent permeating in the clubhouse.
The Cubs have acted like they’re “all in” for this upcoming campaign, a welcome change for what’s taken place the last few offseasons.
But, it doesn’t seem like that is going to be the case for the long term.
According to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, working out an extension with Kyle Tucker to keep him in right field for the future is something that probably won’t take place.
“All these conditions make it highly unlikely that the Cubs will go all-out to try to sign Tucker to a long-term extension,” the insider wrote when discussing the financial situation the organization is in.
Fans won’t like hearing that.
Chicago gave up a strong package to land the star outfielder, especially Cam Smith who is one of the top prospects in baseball and exploded onto the scene last year after being selected in the first round of the 2024 draft.
Winning in 2025 is the goal, and Tucker helps that.
But beyond this season, it seems like the Cubs are still going to rely on their farm system to produce homegrown stars for their roster and routinely stay under the luxury tax threshold like owner Tom Ricketts wants.