Chicago Cubs Ace Gives High Praise to New Teammate, Former Astros Slugger

A Chicago Cubs ace gave high praise to the former Houston Astros slugger who is now his teammate.
Sep 18, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Justin Steele (35) leaves a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics in the third inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Sep 18, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Justin Steele (35) leaves a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics in the third inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
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The Houston Astros took a massive blow when they traded away superstar outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs earlier this offseason.

The return was well short of anything you would expect the team to receive for a player of Tucker's ilk, though teams underpaying in trades has been a theme this winter.

Now with a glaring hole in the outfield on both sides of the ball, the 2025 season is rapidly approaching and the Astros have done little to fill in the gap.

While Houston has remained mostly dormant, the Cubs have been one of the most active teams in the sport.

Not only did they trade for Tucker, but they have also added Matthew Boyd and Colin Rea to their pitching staff while trading away Cody Bellinger to remove a poorly aging contract from their payroll.

Nothing the team has done this winter, however, can match the acquisition of Tucker; a trade that the fans and the players are excited about.

"Anytime you add a bat like Kyle Tucker to the team, in the lineup, even the way he plays defense is incredible," Chicago ace Justin Steele said on a recent episode of the "North Side Territory" podcast. "I played a ton against him in High-A and just remember thinking this guy is going to be a stud."

While the two may have gone to battle "a ton" in High-A, they have only faced each other three times in MLB. While it is a small sample size, the nod goes to Tucker who has a double and one RBI in those three plate appearances.

"He's still young, great left-handed swing, plays defense really hard," Steele continued. "He's only gotten better every single year. He's a fun player to watch and I'm excited to get around him."

The lion's share of publicity surrounding the Astros throughout Tucker's time with the team has gone to the pitching staff, or a number of their other offensive stars. Even without the hype, Tucker has quietly been one of the best players in baseball, with a career 139 OPS+, three American League All-Star appearances, one Silver Slugger, and a Gold Glove.

Both stars are on the right side of 30 and are important pieces of a Chicago roster that is poised to take a giant step forward in 2025, perhaps even winning the National League Central.

Most of the thanks for their coming success will belong to Houston.


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