Kyle Tucker and 3 other former Cubs struggling with their new teams

Winners of nine straight games, the Chicago Cubs have quickly erased the sluggish start they had to the season. Every lever that Craig Counsell has pulled over the past couple of weeks has worked, and the Cubs very much look like the team most expected them to be after signing Alex Bregman this offseason.

It was a decisive offseason for the Cubs, as it was determined that Kyle Tucker wasn't quite the player they wanted at the center of their contending core moving forward. As it turns out, early returns would suggest that the Cubs may have made the smart decision.

4 former Cubs from the 2025 squad who are struggling with their new teams

It's early, but the Cubs' success of late has validated some of the decisions Jed Hoyer made during the offseason. Of course, it helps that some of the players the Cubs said goodbye to are struggling with their new teams.

Kyle Tucker

Tucker got off to an incredibly hot start with the Cubs last year, but that hasn't been the case through his first few weeks with the Dodgers. He's slashing .245/.327/.372 with a wRC+ of 99. Those are all significant drops from where he ended the 2025 season, and it's led to speculation that he may be pressing.

Brad Keller

With the injuries to Phil Maton and Hunter Harvey to open the season, many have wondered if the Cubs should have acted with more urgency in trying to bring back Brad Keller during the offseason. Now with the Philadelphia Phillies, Keller isn't exactly having the same success he had with the Cubs last year. He served up the go-ahead home run against Seiya Suzuki on Thursday, and sports a 4.35 ERA through 11 appearances this season.

Willi Castro

Willi Castro quickly fell out of favor with Craig Counsell after the Cubs traded for him at the deadline last summer. He posted a 40 wRC+ in 110 plate appearances with the Cubs last season, and he hasn't been much better with the Colorado Rockies this year. Through his first 76 plate appearances, Castro has a wRC+ of 75 while striking out over 35% of the time.

Owen Caissie

Owen Caissie has come back down to earth since his scorching hot start to the season with the Miami Marlins. His wRC+ is down to 76 through his first 78 plate appearances this season, and he's striking out over 43.6%. Caissie is still young and loaded with potential, but his struggles likely point to the reason why the front office preferred to keep Moises Ballesteros.

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