A Kyle Tucker extension must be the Cubs' top priority now - and next offseason

He hasn't even played a Cactus League game yet, but make no mistake: everybody is clamoring to get eyes on new Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker.

Dreams of re-uniting Tucker with former Houston Astros teammate Alex Bregman are a thing of the past, which opens the door for top prospect Matt Shaw to take the Opening Day job at the hot corner. Such a move comes with plenty of uncertainty, but opportunity, as well. It's clear though that, at least for the time being, Tucker stands head and shoulders above anyone else on this roster - and that's reflected in MLB Network's Top 100 rankings for 2025.

Poised to hit free agency at season's end, Tucker could be in store for a record-setting payday, with early projections ranging between $300-400 million depending how he performs in his walk year. Looking at this team and its young talent knocking on the door, it remains clear: having Tucker locked in past this season feels like a 'must' for a large market team that keeps crying poor and seems to have to beg ownership to make serious runs at high-quality free agents.

It was Jed Hoyer himself who told the media this week he was constantly making his case to Tom Ricketts that Bregman was a perfect fit - a player who made pushing past the team's 2025 payroll budget worthwhile, He also said that Bregman was the exception to the rule, not a new free-wheeling expectation. But if Bregman was worth the team's first $30 million AAV contract, Tucker is assuredly so.

Set to head into the 2025 regular season roughly $30 million lighter in payroll, the Cubs are hardly considered a serious big-market threat, despite being only of the most valuable franchises in professional sports. Signing Tucker to a long-term contract could change perception that in a big way and usher in an era where Hoyer and the front office don't abandon an approach centered around developing homegrown talent approach and finding value around the margins, but have an ability to supplement those players with free agent signings that really move the needle with a budget commensurate with how this team should be spending on a yearly basis.