Kyle Tucker trade: Cubs land All-Star outfielder from Astros in four-player deal

The Houston Astros have traded one of their homegrown stars in a major four-player trade with the Chicago Cubs, the team announced Friday. The Astros and the Cubs agreed to a deal sending three-time All-Star Kyle Tucker to the North Side of Chicago for third baseman Isaac Paredes, right-hander Hayden Wesneski, and third-base prospect Cam Smith.

Coming into the offseason, a Tucker trade was almost unthinkable, though rumors began to surface during this week’s MLB Winter Meetings, and they continued to pick up steam from there. Tucker is a year away from free agency and, rather than let him play out his walk year, the Astros used the outfielder as a trade chip to address multiple roster needs.

Tucker, 28 in January, authored a .289/.408/.585 slash line with 23 homers and more walks (56) than strikeouts (54) in 78 games around a broken shin in 2024. He is a strong right field defender and basestealer as well. Tucker has been at least a 4.7-WAR player in each of the last four seasons. That’s All-Star production year in, year out. 

With a $16 million projected price tag through arbitration in 2025, Tucker is a bargain, and he has indicated he is open a long-term extension in the past. “Like I’ve always said, we’re always open to have those conversations, whether it happens now or a little later or whatever it may be,” he told MLB.com last spring training. 

From the Cubs’ standpoint, the addition of Tucker may presage a trade of Cody Bellinger out of Chicago. Bellinger has been linked to the Yankees, who are seeking a left-handed outfield bat after the free-agent departure of Juan Soto. The Yankees — who did acquire All-Star closer Devin Williams on Friday — were also involved in the Tucker trade discussions, but the Cubs turned out to be better positioned to make a deal with Houston. 

On the Houston side, the addition of Paredes would seem to indicate that free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman will not be returning to the Astros. Paredes, who turns 26 in February, is coming off a 2024 season for the Cubs and Rays in which he slashed a combined .238/.346/.393 (112 OPS+) with 19 home runs in 153 total games played. For his career, he owns an OPS+ of 113 with a WAR of 8.8 across parts of five MLB seasons. Paredes isn’t eligible for free agency until after the 2027 season.

Wesneski, 27, has on his ledger 22 major-league starts and 46 relief appearances spread across parts of three seasons. Over that span, he’s put up an ERA of 3.93 with an FIP of 4.74. He’s under team control through the 2029 season. 

The 21-year-old Smith was the Cubs’ top draft choice in June — the 14th overall pick out of Florida State. A fast riser, Smith in his lone professional season saw action at three different rungs of the Cubs’ system, including a brief taste of Double-A. In 32 total games, Smith batted .313/.396/.609 with 16 extra-base hits.