Chicago Cubs Linked to Astros Superstar Outfielder in Trade Idea

It's been a very interesting offseason for the Chicago Cubs so far.

They were rumored to be one of the most aggressive teams in free agency coming into the winter, but weren't able to land any of the superstar types of players they set out to sign.

The Cubs still landed solid pieces, but it hasn't been what was expected.

For the Houston Astros, the complete opposite is true.

They were projected to be a dormant team, handicapped by their self-imposed limitations, but instead, they landed one of the game's best players and were able to extend the face of their franchise.

The Astros also have some tough decisions to make in free agency the upcoming years and Kyle Tucker could be a candidate who is not able to be re-signed.

If the two parties aren't able to work out an extension, Zachary Rotman of FanSided thinks Houston might look to trade him, and Chicago is a very likely destination.

"The Cubs have a young core looking to win now and in the future, and 27-year-old Tucker could fit in nicely with their timeline ... they'll have more than enough money to give Tucker whatever he wants while also having the ability to add more pieces around him to be competitive," he writes.

Tucker has been an important part of the Astros since making his debut in 2018.

Since becoming a full-time player in 2020, he's taken his game to the next level on offense and defense. This has contributed to a career bWAR of 18.3 and three straight years of posting over a 5.0.

Houston would love to keep the 27-year-old superstar right fielder, but with the money they handed out to Hader, Altuve, Yordan Alvarez previously and potentially Alex Bregman, it's going to be hard to keep both Tucker and Framber Valdez who hit free agency after 2025.

The Cubs have a great pipeline.

They need to use it at some point to get some other elite talent onto their roster.

If they're able to get a deal done for Tucker and hand out a long-term contract to him, this should be a no-brainer for Chicago depending on what the trade package demands are.