{"id":68489,"date":"2025-07-14T12:48:03","date_gmt":"2025-07-14T12:48:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=68489"},"modified":"2025-07-14T12:48:03","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T12:48:03","slug":"free-agent-to-be-kyle-tucker-is-making-the-most-of-his-year-with-the-cubs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=68489","title":{"rendered":"Free-agent-to-be Kyle Tucker is making the most of his year with the Cubs"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

NEW YORK \u2014 With sparkling views of the city skyline and Lake Michigan, it looked like an image the Chicago Cubs would include in a recruiting presentation. Standing in the sunshine, Kyle Tucker posed on a boat with a group of teammates and Wrigley Field clubhouse workers. The All-Star outfielder posted the photo on his Instagram account, the social media version of throwing chum in the water.<\/p>\n

That kind of reaction was not Tucker\u2019s intention, but Cubs fans are looking for any signs about his future. Whether cautiously optimistic or deeply skeptical, they want to know whether this big-market franchise is prepared to pay the projected No. 1 player in the next free-agent class. Tucker does not offer any clues about his preferences, letting his game do the talking.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll see some comments every now and then,\u201d Tucker said. \u201cI\u2019m sure some people probably overanalyze and read between the lines a lot more than others, versus we just had a \u2018Team Boat Day.\u2019 It\u2019s fun. Fans have a good time with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tucker credited Justin Turner for organizing the June 30 outing, which was open to all players, their families and the clubhouse staff. Winning always helps team chemistry, but the Cubs are a tight-knit group, a reflection of a low-key superstar who just got here and doesn\u2019t know where he will be next year.<\/p>\n

The countdown began last December when Jed Hoyer\u2019s front office acquired Tucker in a win-now trade with the Houston Astros. The deal closed only a few days after Juan Soto agreed to his record-setting, 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets. The megadeal approved by Mets owner Steve Cohen vividly illustrated the rising cost of doing business.<\/p>\n

Shortly after Opening Day, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. signed a 14-year, $500 million contract extension with the Toronto Blue Jays, forgoing free agency this coming offseason and further clearing a path for Tucker, who soon enough may find himself at the center of a bidding war.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t necessarily worry about it too much,\u201d Tucker said. \u201cIf something happens, something happens. The only thing I can really control is just going out there and doing the best I can, putting up numbers and trying to help us win games.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my eyes, as long as I just try and do that, and do my part in helping us win, I feel like everything else just happens. I can\u2019t really control something that\u2019s not in my control or try to manipulate something or force something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tucker is a left-handed hitter who lets the game come to him, understanding how pitchers are trying to set him up and get him out. The little things matter to Tucker, a Gold Glove defender and a plus baserunner who competed in 15 playoff rounds with the Astros. Instead of presenting himself as a one-man corporation, Tucker wants to be one of the boys.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just a fun little off day,\u201d Tucker said. \u201cWe were like, \u2018We should do a Boat Day every day.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Standing 6-foot-4 and carrying a lanky, 220-pound frame, Tucker approaches home plate with a sense of calm, looking more like someone who just rolled out of bed than one of the sport\u2019s most dangerous sluggers.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not quite sluggish, but Tucker\u2019s mannerisms and consistency give off a certain vibe. In many ways, it\u2019s an ideal personality for a great hitter. Performing at this level requires an ability to focus intently on each pitch and then try to forget what just happened.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all so smooth.<\/p>\n

\u201cKyle has a way of making the game look easy,\u201d Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. \u201cNobody else is going to say it\u2019s easy, and Kyle\u2019s not going to say it\u2019s easy. But when you watch Kyle in the box, he just has this way of making what a lot of people think is the hardest thing in sports kind of look easy at times.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes, that\u2019s frustrating to watch for hitters, honestly. But I also think his in-the-present approach is a really good lesson for all of our hitters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tucker sets an example by following his routine without telling others what to do. At a time when major-league coaching staffs are bigger than ever, and so many aspects of the game can be measured, Tucker likes to go by feel.<\/p>\n

He learned by watching all those accomplished hitters in Houston and seeing everything it took to win the 2022 World Series. He has already accumulated 418 plate appearances this season and played in 94 out of 95 games. He knows what he needs to do to clear his mind and feel loose.<\/p>\n

That could mean 10 swings off a tee and 15 flips rather than early rounds of batting practice, the usual pregame hitting program and extra sessions in the batting cage. As the Cubs have learned in recent years, having your process is great, but it has to come with results.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t necessarily want to hit myself out of a good swing,\u201d Tucker said. \u201cWith anything, you can get to a point where you start overthinking stuff. Or you can start feeling something kind of different and you start overanalyzing it. Then you go up there with that kind of thought process, and it\u2019s a little all over the place and you can\u2019t really lock in.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the most part, it\u2019s like the saying: \u2018Quality over quantity.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Even around team officials, Tucker can come across as a little reserved, though still very pleasant. He has that same laid-back demeanor and a dry sense of humor during interviews with reporters. But if you could look into the clubhouse dining room after a game, you would see Tucker at a table surrounded by teammates.<\/p>\n

\u201cHolding court,\u201d Cubs pitcher Matthew Boyd said.<\/p>\n

That dynamic was always hoped for, but not necessarily guaranteed when the Cubs traded away a potential Rookie of the Year (Cam Smith), an All-Star third baseman (Isaac Paredes) and a major-league pitcher (Hayden Wesneski, who\u2019s now recovering from Tommy John surgery). In giving up 14 potential years of club control over those players, the Cubs got one season to maximize Tucker\u2019s talents and make their pitch.<\/p>\n

The Cubs will enter the last day before the All-Star break in first place. After Sunday afternoon\u2019s game at Yankee Stadium, Tucker, Boyd and Pete Crow-Armstrong will travel to Atlanta for the All-Star week festivities. The Cubs won\u2019t dominate the event the way the future World Series champs did in 2016 \u2014 and the club has experienced some lulls recently \u2014 but the offseason plan is coming together with a mix of experienced players and young talent.<\/p>\n

Tucker\u2019s hot start helped give Crow-Armstrong more space to develop offensively near the bottom of the lineup. In watching the rhythm of Tucker\u2019s at-bats, Seiya Suzuki recognized how to be more aggressive.<\/p>\n

Boyd, who threw eight scoreless innings in Saturday\u2019s 5-2 win over the New York Yankees, carried the rotation in the absence of multiple starting pitchers and won\u2019t pitch in the All-Star Game so that he can preserve strength for the second half. All these elements of the club are connected. In their worst full month so far, the Cubs went 13-13 in June.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s special about Tuck is he makes everybody else better,\u201d Boyd said. \u201cBy the way he carries himself, by the way he goes about his business, there\u2019s something about having a guy that has no panic, no worry, at least outwardly. That brings a lot of calm and resolve to a team on a day-in, day-out basis. It\u2019s really special.\u201d<\/p>\n

There have been no excuses from Tucker, no prolonged adjustment period after previously spending his entire career in one organization. The brutal hitting conditions at Wrigley Field earlier this season did not get in his head. Even when he\u2019s not the star of the game \u2014 Crow-Armstrong has delivered so many highlight-reel moments \u2014 Tucker\u2019s still quietly doing stuff to help the Cubs win a series and maintain momentum.<\/p>\n

The numbers across the board \u2014 a .282 batting average, 17 home runs, 22 stolen bases, 56 RBI, 68 runs scored, a .384 on-base percentage and an .887 OPS \u2014 point to a player who seems immune to contract-year pressure.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t really know what affects him in general,\u201d Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson said. \u201cHe just goes up there and takes care of business each and every day. There\u2019s also something to be said about the personality and confidence to \u2014 assimilate is not the right word \u2014 but be able to embed yourself in a team and want to be a part of the team and want to be a part of something bigger than yourself.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just goes to show you what he\u2019s about in general. New team \u2014 and there\u2019s obviously the possibility that he only is one year with a team \u2014 but it doesn\u2019t change how he goes about any of his business.\u201d<\/p>\n

For both sides, it probably makes the most business sense to see what the market will bear for an elite player who will be 29 years old next year.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot really,\u201d Tucker said when asked if his thinking about free agency has evolved since he was traded to the Cubs seven months ago. But putting together the largest contract in franchise history would always require a leap of faith.<\/p>\n

Chicago\u2019s baseball operations department has verified Tucker\u2019s immense value and confirmed his easy-going manner in the clubhouse. The Ricketts family ownership group and the business side of the organization are seeing the reenergized crowds at Wrigley Field. For now, the bottom line is Tucker is having fun playing for a team he thinks can win the World Series this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to let any contract or money stuff kind of dictate what I do out on the field,\u201d Tucker said. \u201cI\u2019m going to go play, and steal bases, and hit and field and everything else, regardless of that. I\u2019m just doing what I can out there. And the rest will take care of itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a9 2025 The Athletic Media Company. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by New York Times Licensing.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Free-agent-to-be<\/p>\n

Chicago Cubs’ Kyle Tucker (30) runs to third base during the third inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Saturday, July 12, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo\/Yuki Iwamura) AP<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK \u2014 With sparkling views of the city skyline and Lake Michigan, it looked like an image the Chicago Cubs would include in a recruiting presentation. 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