Cubs Star Kyle Tucker Could See Value in Free Agency Drop Because of Struggles

It hasn’t been a great stretch for the Chicago Cubs, who lost their opening game against the Toronto Blue Jays to start the week.

With the Milwaukee Brewers playing some incredible baseball, the Cubs haven’t been awful, but the success of the Brewers has made it feel like that. A once nice lead in the National League Central has been completely flipped in favor of Milwaukee, and that has made things seem even worse for Chicago.

Despite the struggles, the team is still comfortable in the NL Wild Card picture, but they will need to turn things around soon. Shockingly, the main reason for their struggles of late has been the batting order.

For most of the first half of the campaign, this was one of the most well-rounded offenses in baseball. However, multiple players are in slumps, and things aren’t going well. Unfortunately, those struggles have been led by their star slugger.

Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report recently wrote about what Cubs star Kyle Tucker might expect when he hits free agency this winter.

“There is some belief Tucker will end up scoring a contract worth upwards of $600 million, but the more practical bar seems to be set at the $400 million threshold.”

Coming into the season, some wild numbers were being thrown around for Tucker after seeing what the New York Mets gave Juan Soto. While the All-Star outfielder will be hitting free agency a couple of years older than Soto, he will still be set for a nice payday.

How much will Tucker get?

Chicago Cubs slugger Kyle Tucker in a blue jersey — Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Where that number will land will be the big question. Soto had the luxury of both the Mets and New York Yankees getting into a bidding war, which certainly improved his contract. Tucker likely won’t have that same luxury.

Furthermore, even though he was a starter for the NL in the All-Star Game, he hasn’t performed well in the second half of the year. Overall in July, he slashed .218/.380/.295 with just one home run and nine RBI. Things haven’t improved in August yet, with Tucker slashing .188/.278/.188.

MORE: Cubs’ Offseason Deal With Guardians Looking Costly

The struggles of Tucker have impacted the Cubs as a team, with him being the anchor in their lineup. With the slump spanning over a month now and the power nowhere to be found, this will certainly have an impact on his free agency.

The dream of potentially landing a $500 or $600 million deal seems very unlikely with how things are going currently.

However, with a strong resume, Tucker landing something in the $400 million range still makes sense. That could all change if he heats up again down the stretch, but the number seems fair as of now.

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