Kyle Tucker won’t play his first game at Wrigley Field as a Cub until Friday. But he has raised the level of angst about his long-term future even before unpacking in his new residence.

Despite him being their most productive hitter, the Astros traded Tucker to the Cubs in December. Owner Jim Crane and his front office were not sure they would be willing to meet his demands on a contract extension that would have been by far the biggest in club history, so they shifted that responsibility to Tom Ricketts and Jed Hoyer.

For his part, Tucker has come out raking in the last season before his impending free agency. He was only 1-for-8 against the Dodgers in the Tokyo Series but has crushed the ball in Arizona and Sacramento, hitting home runs in four consecutive games. He goes into Wednesday’s series finale against the Athletics leading the National League in hits (12), doubles (5), RBI (11) and total bases (29).

So much for any concern about the broken shin that limited him to 78 games last season.

Tucker, who also got off to a fast start last season, is hitting .353 with a 1.303 OPS. He finished April hitting .300 with seven home runs, 20 RBI and a .967 OPS for the Astros last year, and over the season delivered on a pace that would have generated 44 home runs over 150 games. His .993 OPS was a career high.

In part because Tucker will be only 28 when he reaches free agency, CBS Sports’ Mike Axisa estimates that Tucker’s market value is $350 million over 10 years, giving him an average annual value that would rank behind only Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and Mike Trout among hitters. But everything about Tucker’s value is theoretical because he isn’t known to have entertained anything more than a one-year deal.

For his part, Tucker said after the trade to the Cubs he’s “open for anything” in regard to contract talks. His level of consistent production suggested a deal that would dwarf Jose Altuve’s five-year, $151 million contract extension, the biggest deal in Astros’ history, so Crane decided to trade him rather than make such a significant investment.

Tucker had done what he could to signal his willingness to at least explore a contract extension in Houston.

“Like I’ve always said, we’re open to have those conversations, whether it happens now or a little later or (whenever) it may be,” Tucker said before the 2024 season. “Obviously, I’d rather not prolong it forever, but it kind of depends on having those conversations and working it out and seeing what’s best for me and the team. You have to take everything into account and see where it goes.”

The answer to that turned out to be Wrigley Field, where Turner seems certain to get the loudest welcome of his life on Friday.

Hoyer, the Cubs’ president of baseball operations, has a strong relationship with Tucker’s representatives. Excel Sports Agency maintains an office in Chicago and represents two of the Cubs’ recent free-agent additions, Dansby Swanson and Jameson Taillon. Swanson’s seven-year, $177 million deal is the biggest ever for the franchise.

It seems highly likely Hoyer and the Excel agents would have discussed the parameters of a long-term deal while going through negotiations on a one-year, $16.5 million deal to avoid salary arbitration. But once again there wasn’t an offer requiring Tucker’s attention.

“You never know how the future’s going to play out,” Tucker told reporters in spring training. “You just try to take it one day at a time. Whatever happens later, happens.’’

Conventional wisdom says Tucker is destined to reach free agency and make himself available to teams with a history writing contracts in excess of $300 million — that is, the Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, Padres, Phillies and Rangers. But the narrative over Tucker’s contract is going to be a part of daily life at Wrigley in 2025, and will only get louder if Houston rookie Cam Smith puts together a big season.

The 22-year-old third baseman/outfielder was barely on the radar for most Chicago fans when he was put into the Tucker trade but quickly emerged as a trade piece worthy of lasting regret, earning his spot on Houston’s big-league roster after only 32 minor-league games. He could emerge as a high price to pay for a one-year rental, adding to the need for the Cubs to either win now with Tucker or find a way to keep him.