Cubs mentioned as surprise trade destination for Astros' star slugger

As Cubs' Hall of Fame broadcaster Pat Hughes says, "Fasten those seatbelts."

After Juan Soto signed his record-setting 15-year contract with the New York Mets, the expectation was the Chicago Cubs would be actively shopping Cody Bellinger as a fallback option during this week's Winter Meetings. One of the teams with interest in Bellinger? The Houston Astros.

But a new report has opened up a new possibility: Chicago trading for three-time All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker, who is heading into his final year of team control on the heels of a wildly impressive, albeit injury-shortened 2024 campaign.

Last season, Tucker piled up 4.7 bWAR in just 78 games - and slashed an eye-catching .289/.408/.585 - good for a 181 OPS+. Set to turn 28 next month, the former first-round pick is getting a lot of mention in trade rumors, along with teammate Framber Valdez, who is also set to hit the open market next winter.

Obviously, trading for Tucker doesn't impact the Cubs' goal of trading Bellinger. That's not to say they have to be part of the same deal, but for this to make sense, Chicago needs to open up a spot in the outfield - and that means either Bellinger or (in the event they can't move him) Seiya Suzuki would be on the move.

A Kyle Tucker trade would shake up perception surrounding the Cubs

The Cubs haven't had a bat of Tucker's offensive caliber since the team's last window of contention. He ran off a 5+ WAR in 2021, 2022 and 2023 before just missing the mark this year. The last Cubs position player to his that mark? Nico Hoerner in 2023. Prior to that? Javier Baez in his NL MVP runner-up season back in 2019.

It's a risk - and one that comes with a high price tag. There's always the chance you unload top-shelf prospects in a deal like this and Tucker leaves in free agency a year from now. But if you can trade for him and manage to lock him up long-term (a scenario that feels unlikely given the Cubs' reluctance to pay top-dollar in recent years), you have your franchise cornerstone for years to come.

A legitimate 30-30 presence, Tucker checks all the boxes - a multi-faceted player capable of impacting the game in countless ways. One thing is for sure: Jed Hoyer is burning up the lines trying to improve this team and whether or not anything comes to fruition this week, the Cubs remain one of the most active searching for upgrades on the trade market this winter.