{"id":45153,"date":"2025-03-29T22:29:04","date_gmt":"2025-03-29T22:29:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=45153"},"modified":"2025-03-29T22:29:04","modified_gmt":"2025-03-29T22:29:04","slug":"astros-newest-coaching-win-adds-to-cubs-fan-angst-over-kyle-tucker-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=45153","title":{"rendered":"Astros\u2019 Newest \u2018Coaching Win\u2019 Adds to Cubs Fan Angst Over Kyle Tucker Trade"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\">\n<div>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Hayden-Wesneski.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Hayden-Wesneski.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Hayden-Wesneski.jpg?quality=15&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Hayden-Wesneski.jpg?quality=35&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"Astros\u2019 Newest \u2018Coaching Win\u2019 Adds to Cubs Fan Angst Over Kyle Tucker Trade\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Getty<\/p>\n<p>Houston Astros pitcher Hayden Wesneski<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The <\/span>Kyle Tucke <span data-contrast=\"auto\">r era with the <\/span>Chicago Cubs <span data-contrast=\"auto\"> has barely even begun, but Cubs fans are already piling up the reasons to regret <\/span>the trade to acquire <span data-contrast=\"auto\"> the three-time All-Star from Houston for <\/span>Isaac Paredes <span data-contrast=\"auto\">, <\/span>Hayden Wesneski <span data-contrast=\"auto\"> and <\/span>Cam Smith <span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The more pessimistic followers of the team had ammunition right from the start, pointing to the fact that Tucker will be <\/span>a free agent after the 2025 season <span data-contrast=\"auto\">. Given the amount of <\/span>vitriol routinely thrown at Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts <span data-contrast=\"auto\"> over the perceived lack of spending to improve the roster, there aren\u2019t many who feel confident that Tucker\u2019s time in Chicago will extend past this season.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The angst has only been heightened by Tucker\u2019s slow start this season. After an <\/span>uncharacteristically tough spring <span data-contrast=\"auto\"> for the left-handed hitting outfielder, who had just three hits in 30 at-bats during Cactus League play, Tucker is batting .125 through the first four games of the regular season, with one single and one double in 16 at-bats.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Hayden Wesneski Dazzles With Wide Array of Pitches<\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Meanwhile, the increasing buzz surrounding the players shipped to the Astros has not helped.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">First it was Smith, the Cubs\u2019 first-round draft pick in 2024 and the No. 58 overall prospect in <\/span>MLB Pipeline\u2019s latest rankings <span data-contrast=\"auto\">, who <\/span>amazed his new teammates during the spring <span data-contrast=\"auto\"> with \u201cthe makeup, the calmness, the maturity, confidence\u201d of a future long-time All-Star. Smith earned his way onto the Major League roster with a dominant spring, batting .342 with four home runs and 11 RBIs, and <\/span>he stroked a key RBI single <span data-contrast=\"auto\"> on the first pitch he saw in Houston\u2019s 3-1 season-opening win over the Mets on Thursday.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Now, Wesneski\u2019s potential can be added to the mix. In his\u00a0<\/span>\u201c10 Bold Predictions for the 2025 Season\u201d column <span data-contrast=\"auto\"> for The Athletic, Eno Sarris suggested that \u201cHayden Wesneski is the Astros\u2019 newest coaching win.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The right-handed pitcher, who was <\/span>the Cubs\u2019 No. 5 prospect in 2023 <span data-contrast=\"auto\">, has shown plenty of potential and a wide array of pitches through his first seasons in the Major Leagues, even if the overall numbers may have seemed rather average. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Last season, <\/span>Wesneski did appear in 28 games <span data-contrast=\"auto\">, including seven starts, for the Cubs across three stints, posting a 3.86 ERA while opponents hit .215 against him. In his career, Wesneski has 68 appearances, 22 of them starts, with a 3.93 ERA and 183 strikeouts in 190 innings.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Hayden Wesneski Ready to Contribute to Houston Rotation<\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Citing analysis that touts the benefits of relying on a variety of quality pitches, Sarris notes Wesneski\u2019s arsenal of 4-seam fastballs, curveballs, cutters, changeups, sinkers, and sweepers, and his willingness during the spring to utilize all of them at any time, to state that Houston could be on the verge of something special with his unique talent.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cWesneski is mixing it up well,\u201d Sarris wrote. \u201cHe was already in the top quartile for the arsenal-size statistics at Baseball Prospectus as a reliever, and the Astros look like they\u2019re having him focus on being unpredictable. That\u2019s pretty old-school, and it works.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">For his part, Wesneski said he feels ready to contribute at the back-end of Houston\u2019s rotation.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cI do feel like I\u2019m a better pitcher than I was when I came in,\u201d Wesneski said. \u201cI feel like I\u2019m in shape, my body feels great. We\u2019re in a good spot for the year to start off.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Dave Benson Dave Benson is a longtime writer with over three decades of experience in a variety of mediums, including 15 years covering high school, collegiate and minor league sports in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Dave is also a licensed English teacher and spent a few years teaching at the middle school level. More about Dave Benson<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chicago Cubs fans already nervous over the Kyle Tucker trade can add pitcher Hayden Wesneski&#8217;s pitch array to their reasons for regret.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":45154,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Astros\u2019 Newest \u2018Coaching Win\u2019 Adds to Cubs Fan Angst Over Kyle Tucker Trade - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=45153\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Astros\u2019 Newest \u2018Coaching Win\u2019 Adds to Cubs Fan Angst Over Kyle Tucker Trade - 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