Kyle Tucker had a productive first season with the Chicago Cubs, but now it seems like he may be suiting up for somebody else in 2026. The outfielder with four All-Star nods to his name is one of the best free agents this year.
The Cubs certainly want him back, but in recent years, the free agent trend has been for powerhouse teams to offer outlandish contracts that just can't be matched. The Philadelphia Phillies are already loaded with star power, but they just might make a big move to pry Tucker away from Chicago.
Kyle Tucker could get the Phillies over the hump
The Phillies have had a star-studded core for quite some time now. When it comes to offense, Bryce Harper is one of the best players of this generation, and Kyle Schwarber is a perennial threat to lead baseball in home runs and/or walks. J.T. Realmuto, Trea Turner, and Alec Bohm are all premier players at their respective positions, and Nick Castellanos, while regressing, is a big-name player. Even Harrison Bader played great baseball after the team traded for him last year.
Christopher Sanchez, Jesus Luzardo, Aaron Nola, Jhoan Duran, and Zach Wheeler form a pretty impressive unit of arms, too. Unfortunately, this stockpile of talent didn't result in a World Series, as the Phillies have regularly been one of the best teams in baseball all year long, just to suffer a postseason heartbreak.
Now, they will have to decide if they are going to bring all of the core back or if they are going to cut their losses and go in a new direction. Realmuto, Schwarber, and Bader are all free agents, as are Ranger Suarez and Max Kepler. Whichever way the Phillies go, Kyle Tucker makes a lot of sense as a free agent addition.
Tucker is one of the best players in MLB. He'd be a signifigant upgrade over Bader and/or Kepler, if the team decided to move on from those outfielders. He'd also provide the Phillies with some much-needed youth. The majority of the Phillies' core is well into their 30s, but Tucker is just 28 years old.
Tucker has a World Series championship, a Gold Glove, and two Silver Sluggers to his name. Reports suggest that he will be given a contract in the ballpark of $400 million. That means the Phillies would likely have to overpay him in order to secure his services. Tucker would be more than worth a huge payday. Tucker has belted 134 home runs over the last five seasons.
He could help extend the Phillies' championship window or be the face of the franchise during a new era. Either way, Tucker has a lot of other suitors, so it would cost a pretty penny if Philadelphia were able to sign him.
