New Kyle Tucker Contract Projection Points To Unexpected Opening For Cubs

Chicago Cubs fans are probably sick of hearing their team has no chance to sign Kyle Tucker in free agency this offseason.

This comes after Tucker was a key part of the Cubs' successful 2025 season that saw them make it within one game of the NLCS. It always seemed likely that Tucker would be a one-year rental for Chicago after they traded for him last offseason. However, since the pairing seems to make sense for both sides, some fans have been clinging to the hope that Tucker could return.

But the problem with this is money. Tucker is going to be the highest-paid free agent this offseason and will probably command more than double the most money Chicago's front office has ever given a single player. This is why the baseball world has already concluded that Tucker will be taking his talents elsewhere this offseason, and the Cubs will need to get used to a lineup that doesn't revolve around his elite left-handed bat.

Could Updated Kyle Tucker Contract Projection Create Cubs Opening?

Kyle Tucker's free agency contract projections range from $350-$425 million, all of which could immediately rule the Cubs out if all that money were paid outright. As for ESPN, writer Kiley McDaniel has projected Tucker will get an 11-year, $418 million deal.

He made this same projection in a December 16 article. But this time, McDaniel noted that Tucker's contract could include potential deferrals.

Deferrals have become a modern marvel in free agency negotiations. The most notable example of this is the 10-year, $700 million contract that Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023, in which he agreed to defer $680 million of that amount. Therefore, Ohtani is earning $2 million per year through his contract from 2023 to 2033 and then $68 million per year from 2034 to 2043.

Shohei Ohtani's $700 million contract calls for him to be paid only $2 million a year for the next 10 seasons, with $680 million deferred until the end of the deal, sources confirm to ESPN.

The CBT hit on the contract is going to be around $46 million, a huge discount for L.A.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 11, 2023

Deferred contracts have become more common since this historic deal, although the Ohtani example remains the most drastic.

The prospect of Tucker getting a deferred deal could make him more affordable for the Cubs. For example, if Chicago offered Tucker the 11-year, $418 million deal that McDaniel projected but deferred half of that money to the 11 years after his contract concludes, that would mean they only had to pay him $19 million per year over the next 11 years as opposed to $38 million.

$19 million per year is a lot to save. Of course, this would come back to bite them after those first 11 years are over, but a deferred contract definitely makes a potential deal for Tucker more palatable financially.

Alas, it's hard to imagine the Cubs' front office offering Tucker a deferred deal, which makes his return to Chicago remain unlikely. But that prospect of deferred money means it's not impossible.

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