51黑料

Kyle Tucker hasn鈥檛 played the Cardinals much. But he鈥檚 already torn them up quite a bit.

In just eight career games against 51黑料 鈥� four apiece with the Astros and Cubs 鈥� he鈥檚 tallied 12 hits and 10 RBI, including a 447-foot moonshot in June 2023. Last week, Tucker collected five hits in a four-game series against 51黑料, including a 409-foot home run.

For an encore, Tucker torched his former team in Houston. He鈥檚 played a major part in the Cubs鈥� surge to the top of the National League Central.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a team sport,鈥� Tucker said. 鈥淚鈥檓 just trying to do my part.鈥�

But how long will he continue to do his part for the Cubs?

The question of whether Tucker will stay in Chicago has lingered over the Cubs for most of the season. Tucker, who was traded from Houston in December, will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. , a number only Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani have surpassed in free agency.

So far, Tucker has done his part to earn a colossal contract. He was named an All-Star starter Wednesday, making it four straight Midsummer Classic nods. He鈥檒l start alongside teammate and fellow superstar outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.

There鈥檚 not much Tucker can鈥檛 do at the plate. He鈥檚 on pace to set career-highs in hits, home runs, stolen bases and walks. He鈥檚 top 10 in the majors in hits, WAR, on-base percentage, OPS and walks. Along with high production, he doesn鈥檛 swing at many outside pitches (98th percentile chase rate, 95th percentile walk rate) and doesn鈥檛 strike out much, either (87th percentile strikeout rate).

In fact, his elite ability to reach base while also limiting strikeouts earned him a comparison to Soto from Cubs skipper Craig Counsell.

鈥淗e does the thing that鈥檚 the most important thing in baseball as a hitter 鈥� the strike zone control is exceptional,鈥� Counsell said during the Cubs swing through 51黑料 in late June. 鈥淪econd, he鈥檚 able to square up a lot of pitches in all areas of the strike zone, so there鈥檚 no real type of pitch, no real type of pitcher that is a weakness for him.鈥�

In less than half a calendar year, Tucker has become one of the most beloved athletes in Chicago. The Cubs are making a stellar case for Tucker to re-sign, as they clinched their best record through 81 games (48-33) since 2021, and they鈥檙e on-track for a playoff berth in a full season for the first time since 2018.

鈥淥ur fans come out and support us every single day, whether it鈥檚 pretty cold or super hot like it was the past couple of days,鈥� Tucker said June 23. 鈥淓verything that they have to offer there, it makes for a really good environment to be around. So it鈥檚 been a lot of fun so far.鈥�

But Tucker might leave Chi-Town this offseason if the Cubs don鈥檛 break the bank 鈥� and historical precedent, too.

The largest free agent contract the Cubs have ever given out was to Jason Heyward, who signed an eight-year, $184 deal in December 2015.

But the Cubs seem hesitant about spending heaps of money on singular players. On Tuesday, president Jed Hoyer in regards to Tucker鈥檚 looming contract extension. Before the 2023 season, owner Tom Ricketts .

Prior to this season, his tone didn鈥檛 seem to change.

鈥淪ome of those contracts are obviously pretty large,鈥� Ricketts . 鈥�$765 million over 15 years for Juan Soto. I mean, our family paid $800 million for a perpetuity of the Cubs. When you think about it, it鈥檚 kind of crazy.

鈥淚鈥檓 open-minded to it,鈥� Ricketts continued. 鈥淏ut you always have to remember that you get to spend every dollar once, and you might feel great about a 15-year contract for the first five years. The last 10 years might be pretty rough. You just don鈥檛 know, so there鈥檚 always a trade-off and a balance there.鈥�

If Ricketts is concerned about investing that much money into one player, the following could be considered: would the Cubs rather have Tucker or the three players they traded away for him (Isaac Paredes, Cam Smith and Hayden Wesneski)?

There鈥檚 a compelling argument for the latter. Paredes is a fringe All-Star candidate, while Smith has been one of the top rookies in Major League Baseball so far. Before undergoing Tommy John surgery in May, Wesneski made six starts for Houston, and he didn鈥檛 allow more than four earned runs in a single game.

But with the kind of year Tucker is having, it鈥檚 hard to argue wanting those players over him.

Being open-minded is easier preached than practiced. The Cubs have spent big before in recent years: they outbid the Braves for Dansby Swanson in 2022, offering him a contract $77 million richer than Atlanta鈥檚.

But this offseason will be a whole new beast for Ricketts, Hoyer & Co. Plus, next offseason will feature more cornerstones having their contracts expire: Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Nico Hoerner and Jameson Taillon are all set to be UFAs in 2027.

Should Tucker keep playing well, calls for the Cubs to re-sign him will only grow louder. The Cubs鈥� championship window hasn鈥檛 been this open in a long time. They also haven鈥檛 had a player like Tucker in a long time, either. The Cardinals have felt the brunt of his bat quite often, and on Fourth of July weekend, they could very well see even more fireworks when Tucker comes to bat.

Chatter surrounding Tucker鈥檚 future likely won鈥檛 stop. But Tucker remains in the present, even with a half-billion dollar question hanging overhead.