3 things to know about the impasse between the Cubs and Kyle Tucker

By the time most Chicago Cubs fans went to bed on Thursday, any contentment that came from agreeing to arbitration salaries with Justin Steele and Nate Pearson was erased, overshadowed by the team's inability to agree on a 2025 salary with newcomer and three-time All-Star Kyle Tucker.

No matter how you slice it, it's a bad look for the front office and ownership - but that doesn't mean the sky is falling, either. Given the importance of Tucker to the Cubs not only this year, but potentially for years to come assuming the club has interest in keeping him long-term, it's important to make sure everyone has their arms around the situation at-hand.

3: Kyle Tucker will play for the Chicago Cubs in 2025 no matter what

Failing to agree on a salary for his final year of arbitration does not mean Tucker won't suit up for the Cubs come Opening Day. In fact, we now have clarity on roughly what he'll make, regardless of how negotiations between Jed Hoyer and his camp proceed from here.

Tucker's 2025 salary will make between $15 and $17.5 million before hitting free agency next winter, a relative bargain given his track record of performance. The former Gold Glover and Silver Slugger winner has averaged 5.3 bWAR over the last four seasons, despite playing in just 78 games with the Astros last year.

Rest assured: Tucker is a Cub and this bump in the road changes nothing.

2: There's no guarantee this will even make it to an arbitration hearing

I got plenty of comments on social media for my post on Thursday night, with folks asking if I understood how the arbitration process works. I do - and I'm well aware there's still time for the two sides to find middle ground before this reaches an arbitration hearing.

Even so, I still think it's a rough first impression for Hoyer and the Cubs and given his expected level of production (and his overall body of work in his career) nitpicking over a difference of $2.5 million seems foolish and short-sighted.

1: Money talks - and that alone will determine where he plays in 2026

Hopefully, it never makes it to a hearing because the last thing Chicago needs is to rake its new star over the coals in hopes of saving a couple million bucks. Those hearings can bring out the worst in organizations, and frankly, I think in a case like this, it's best avoided altogether.

Even so, there's a world where it goes to a hearing and the Cubs still manage to hammer out a long-term deal with Tucker in free agency next winter. At the end of the day, the team that hands him the biggest contract, which some anticipate could exceed $400 million, will control him for the rest of his career. Whether you think it's likely that team is the Cubs is certainly up for debate - but this impasse shouldn't be a major complicating factor if things play out that way next offseason.