Cubs' Kyle Tucker Hopes Fade As MLB Heavyweights Likely To Battle For Free Agent Star

The offseason has officially begun for the Chicago Cubs, and they will be hoping to build upon what was a strong year in 2025.

Last winter, the Cubs were extremely aggressive in trying to improve their roster. While the moves that they made might have had some mixed results on an individual level, they were able to snap a playoff drought.

As Chicago prepares for this offseason, they will have some notable players hitting free agency and the roster could look a lot different compared to last season. Fortunately, this is a group that still has a lot of young talent, but they are going to have to reshape some things if they are going to reach the postseason yet again.

Chicago Cubs president Jed Hoyer | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

While it is good that the team does have some youth to fall back on, they could be losing their star for 2025, whom they gave up quite a bit to get this past winter. If that ends up being the case, it could be a significant blow.

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently wrote about Cubs star Kyle Tucker being the top prize in free agency and recently predicted that the New York Yankees would swoop in and beat out the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago for him.

Tucker Makes Sense for New York

As the best player available in free agency, any team that signs Tucker is instantly going to be better. While the second half of the year wasn’t great for the All-Star outfielder, he still put together a powerful campaign and is going to get a lucrative deal.

Chicago Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker — David Banks-Imagn Images

Coming into the winter, the Dodgers feel like the favorite to land him, coming off another World Series win and having a need to improve their outfield. However, with Cody Bellinger recently opting out for the Yankees, it clears the path for them to pursue Tucker as well.

For the Cubs, seeing both New York and Los Angeles being in the mix for their star slugger is far from ideal. While it hasn’t felt overly likely that they were going to be able to retain him, getting in a bidding war with the Yankees and Dodgers isn’t going to result in success for Chicago.

Overall, while the Cubs shouldn’t be ruled out after a successful season with Tucker, the chances of retaining him seem slim. With a couple of the best teams in baseball going after him, Chicago will likely be dealt a significant blow this winter.

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