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It\u2019s hard to project just what Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker is worth on the open market.<\/p>\n
Tucker\u2019s age (28) and status as a four-time All-Star make him the prize of this year\u2019s class. But he\u2019s also been hampered by injuries in each of the last two seasons, and a 1 1\/2-month slump this summer caused his season numbers to land in a place that doesn\u2019t necessarily suggest he should be paid like one of the top few stars in the sport.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve seen a number of free agents coming off strange seasons, especially those like Tucker who were slapped with the qualifying offer, wind up accepting short-term deals to rebuild their value. But one insider is quite confident that won\u2019t be the case for the Cubs star.<\/p>\n
ESPN reporter Jeff Passan dropped a series of free agency updates on Sunday on Threads, and for Tucker, he labeled four teams as fairly definitive suitors. More importantly, the insider signaled that the absolute floor for Tucker\u2019s market was $300 million, and that the actual number very well could wind up blowing that floor out of the water.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe market for the best free agent in the class could stretch into the new year potentially,\u201d Passan wrote. \u201cAt the end of the day, nobody can make a team better like Tucker, and whether it’s Toronto, Philadelphia, either New York team or perhaps one that misses out on the rest of the top players in the class, Tucker’s price will be met, and he’ll get a 10-year-plus deal for more than $300 million – with an even higher ceiling possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 136 games for the Cubs, Tucker slashed .266\/.377\/.464, clubbed 22 home runs, drove in 73 RBIs, and racked up 4.6 wins above replacement. His career OPS+ now sits at 140, and he averages 5.8 WAR per 162 games.<\/p>\n
Passan is also just the latest prognosticator to seemingly remove the Cubs from the discussion, as it appears the Cubs, who have never spent more than $184 million on a single free agent (Jason Heyward) will only get involved if Tucker\u2019s market falls far below the insider\u2019s stated expectations.<\/p>\n
The winter meetings begin next week, so it will be interesting to see whether there\u2019s any movement on Tucker, or if Passan\u2019s notion that things could drag into the new year bears out.<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s hard to project just what Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker is worth on the open market. Tucker\u2019s age (28) and status as a four-time All-Star make… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":127825,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-127824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n