Houston Astros Should Do Whatever It Takes to Extend Tucker
If Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker was going to hand out an award after his squad swept the Chicago Cubs, there's one man who is the top contender.
Kyle. Tucker.
Bottom of the ninth in Wednesday's 7-6 win over the Cubs, Tucker came to the plate with bases loaded. His walk-off single to centerfield propelled the Astros to the come-from-behind victory.
Add that for walk-off of the year contention.
The Golden Glove right-fielder is criminally underrated in MLB in his sixth season with Houston. After losing his arbitration, he earned five million for the 2023 season.
The idea of a long-term deal is key and likely motivation for him.
Part of that is his idea to enter the 30-30 club: 30 homers and 30 stolen bases. In 2022, Tucker was the only guy in Major League Baseball to produce 30 home runs and 25 stolen bases.
He can produce, something that is incredibly important for the Astros' roster. Currently, he's slugging .275/.354/.44 with six homers and 29 RBIs. He's tied with Alex Bregman and Jeremy Pena for the most homers for the club.
Signing him to a long-term deal is what would make Astros general manager Dana Brown happy, team owner Jim Crane isn't entirely on board. They had engaged in off-season talks with Tucker to try and avoid him entering free agency in 2025.
He's a rising star and soon it'll be more than Houston who knows it. The Cubs certainly do after Wednesday night. Tucker is the complete player in baseball: excellent plate skills with speed and defensive acumen.
But to keep him is going to cost dollar dollar bills. For a guy of Tucker's age and skill set, a contract extension in 2023 would likely have to exceed $200 million or at least come quite close to it.
It would be in Houston's best interest to get a deal done sooner rather than later. But that would need Crane to be less stingy with contracts. For the betterment of the squad, Tucker should be his main priority.
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