Was trading for Kyle Tucker enough to make the Cubs serious contenders?

In December, the Cubs gave up top prospect Cam Smith, All-Star infielder Isaac Paredes and 27-year-old right-hander Hayden Wesneski for one guaranteed year of Kyle Tucker suiting up on the north side of Chicago. The blockbuster trade with the Houston Astros finally gave the Cubs a superstar, a roster need that was a handful of years overdue, and it undeniably upgraded a deadweight offense that was just 1% above league average in 2024.

In a vacuum, trading for Tucker was a win for the Cubs and their understandably irritated fan base. They haven't seen the team advance past October's wild-card round since 2017. Tucker — a three-time All-Star, World Series winner and MVP candidate — makes the Cubs the favorites to win the National League Central, one of the weakest divisions in the major leagues. The trade showed a level of urgency that's been remiss for the past several years. 

But Tucker, for all the hype around his upcoming season, is just a one-year rental. The Gold Glove right fielder will step into free agency at the end of the season and command a lucrative contract that is expected to be skyward of $300 million. We've seen the market favor high-impact players who are under 30, and Tucker will be entering his age-29 season next year. It's unlikely the Cubs reach an extension with Tucker before he hits the market because, as one of the sport's most elite players, why would he potentially leave money on the table after seeing how the Juan Soto sweepstakes played out this past winter?

So the former Silver Slugger is all but certain to explore free agency no matter what happens with the Cubs this year. Knowing this, fans expected Cubs owner Tom Ricketts and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer to continue building