HOUSTON – With the Houston Astros “open to listening” to trade offers, according to GM Dana Brown, the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees have shown strong interest in trading for star outfielder Kyle Tucker, who is in the final year of his Astros contract, according to multiple major league sources.
The Cubs and Astros have held preliminary talks, centered around Tucker, sources tell KPRC 2. Included in those discussions are Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki and infielder Isaac Paredes, sources tell KPRC 2.
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The Astros are said to strongly covet Paredes, and have for some time, according to multiple sources. While no deal is imminent at the moment, the Cubs are considered to be in a strong position because of their mix of Major League-ready players to trade, and a host top prospects.
2024 first round pick Cam Smith is a player sources say the Astros are showing interest in, as well. They aren’t the only team that have asked the Cubs about Smith, according to a league source, who has received glowing reviews for his on-field production and off-field makeup from Cubs officials. Smith played in three levels in 2024, rising all the way to Double-A in his draft year, and finished the season hitting .313 with an OPS of 1.004 in his first taste of professional ball. The 21-year old infielder is ranked the 73rd best prospect in baseball my MLB Pipeline.
The Athletic first reported the inclusion of Suzuki, Paredes and Smith in trade talks.
The New York Yankees are “preparing to make a big offer for Tucker,” a league source tells KPRC 2.
The Astros would expect a large return from the Yankees in any potential deal for the three-time All-Star right fielder, including multiple MLB-ready players, and prospects. In the wake of Juan Soto’s departure and deal with the crosstown rival New York Mets, Tucker represents a left-handed hitting replacement.
Tucker is an upgrade over Soto defensively in right field, winning a Gold Glove in 2022, and on the basepaths where he stole 30 bases in 2023. Tucker missed half of the 2024 season with a stress reaction in his shin, after fouling a ball off his leg. The injury is said to be fully healed with no long-term effects. In only 78 games, Tucker hit 23 home runs and had an OPS+ of 181. He racked up a 4.7 WAR, per Baseball-Reference in half a season.
The Astros have had very little traction on a potential extension with Tucker, league sources tell KPRC 2. Tucker’s free agent value was discussed by many in the industry to exceed $300 million during the season, with that number only going up since Juan Soto’s $765 million deal with the Mets hit the baseball world. Speaking to more half-dozen people within baseball, Tucker’s potential value has been projected to exceed $400 million, or potentially $500 million.
Any of those numbers would be double, or more than double than the largest contract offer the Astros have ever given out. Houston, whose priority is to retain third baseman Alex Bregman, has a 6-year, $156 million offer on the table for the third baseman.
Tucker is a career 139 OPS+ hitter, and has been among the most consistent outfield bats in baseball since given the full-time starting job in 2020.
