Cubs get another painful Kyle Tucker trade reminder from Hayden Wesneski's Astros' return

The Kyle Tucker trade, over the past year, for the Chicago Cubs has been looked through the lens of the Cubs giving up Cam Smith as the headliner of their package sent to the Houston Astros. Even with Isaac Paredes finding success in Houston, there remains a debate if the Cubs gave up too much for what proved to be one season of Tucker.

The rebuttal is that Tucker was a Louisville Silver Slugger award recipient last year, and while that was largely due to his first-half production, it still was one of the primary reasons why the Cubs made the playoffs.

The forgotten piece of the Tucker trade was starting pitcher Hayden Wesneski. Wesneski was once one of the top pitching prospects in the Cubs' system after Jed Hoyer fleeced Brian Cashman at the 2022 trade deadline, but was never able to put it together during his run in the majors. After posting a 2.18 ERA through his first 33 innings pitched with the Cubs in 2022, he followed it up with a 4.63 ERA in 2023 and 3.89 ERA in 2024 while largely being used as an up-and-down arm.

Hayden Wesneski gives Cubs another reminder of what Kyle Tucker really cost

Wesneski made six starts with the Astros before the rest of this 2025 season was washed away due Tommy John Surgery. He has since made his return, and flashing signs of being the starting pitcher the Cubs once believed he could be.

Through his first seven starts with the Astros this season, Wesneski has an ERA of 3.18. What makes it more impressive is how Weneski is finding success this season. With the Cubs, home runs were his fatal flaw. So far with the Astros this season, he's kept the ball in the bark. Through nearly 40 innings pitched this season, Wesneski has only given up two home runs.

There's no telling if the Cubs would have been unable to unlock this version of Wesneski, it's become clear their pitching infrastructure doesn't always value how other teams find success. But, the larger point is that the Cubs paid a steep price to have Tucker for one season. It was obvious at the time, but as the debate over how won the trade rages on, it's starting to look like the Astros are the victor and it may not be close.

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