When it comes to much sought-after free agents, there are few who have attracted more attention recently than Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker. However, the 28-year-old is seemingly doing his best to reduce interest in his services if his recent form is anything to judge by.
The four-time MLB All-Star pick has been poor for some weeks and was benched for his team’s doubleheader with the Brewers. He is expected to sit out subsequent games. Since being selected for the fourth season in a row for the All-Star Game in July, he has hit .182 and secured just one home run and six RBIs, which is quite a slump.
At this rate, losing Tucker may well be an option Cubs fans will happily accept. Fans of the Wrigley Field franchise who want to bet on Craig Counsell’s side to go deep into the postseason can do so with the aid of this Fanatics Sportsbook promo, which will make any potential payout even sweeter.
Prior to his recent run of bad form, some were suggesting that Tucker could command as much as $600 million from any new deal with a new team, but one imagines that number is starting to come down quite a bit.
On his inability to get back to his best, Counsell has moved to support Tucker, commenting recently.
“The fans are frustrated and Kyle’s frustrated,”
“He’s trying. It’s just not clicking. We’re going to have to take a little step back here, for sure, and just give him some days off to reset him, hopefully.”
Another individual who has shown his loyalty to Tucker is his teammate Ian Happ, who stated.
“Tuck is going to be fine,”
“He’s one of the best players in baseball. Sometimes just being able to watch baseball for a day and just get away from it … and not have to be grinding through at-bats can help a lot.”
Fortunately for both the Cubs and Tucker, a reverse in form has been seen in Chicago’s latest clash with the former Houston Astros star, hitting a three-run homer in a 4-3 victory over the Braves.
He then left the field with a slight injury, which may also hamper talk of a potential new franchise.
“I feel good at the plate,”
“We’re playing pretty solid ball and had another really good one tonight. I feel fine. Yeah, it kind of sucks I wasn’t able to finish the game or add anything to that, but the team really did a good job.” Tucker added before concluding on his calf tightness.
“I did as much as I could,”
“Eventually, I was like, ‘I’d rather not try to test this much further and make it any more than it really is.’”
“We wanted to be cautious at this point,” Counsell said of Tucker’s situation.
Among the teams seen as most likely to land Tucker are the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees. There is also a chance he’ll elect to sign a new deal with the Cubs.
