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 Cubs reached a deal sending three-time All-Star Kyle Tucker to Chicago’s North Side for third baseman Isaac Paredes, right-hander Hayden Wesneski and third base prospect Cam Smith.
Heading into the offseason, a trade for Tucker was almost unthinkable, although rumors began to surface during this week’s MLB winter meetings, and they continued to gain momentum at from there. Tucker is a year away from free agency and, rather than letting him play out his walk year, the Astros used the outfielder as a trade chip to fill several roster needs.
Tucker, 28 in January, posted 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 solid right fielder and base stealer as well. Tucker has been at least a 4.7 WAR player in each of the last four seasons. It’s an All-Star production year after year.
With a projected price tag of $16 million via arbitration in 2025, Tucker is a bargain, and he has indicated he is open to a long-term extension in the past. “As I’ve always said, we’re always open to these conversations, whether it happens now or a little later or whatever it may be,” he added. he told MLB.com last spring training.
From the Cubs’ perspective, the addition of Tucker could foreshadow a trade of Cody Bellinger out of Chicago. Bellinger has been linked to the Yankees, who are looking for a left-handed outfield bat following the free agent departure of Juan Soto. The Yankees… who acquired All-Star closer Devin Williams on Friday – also participated in trade discussions with Tucker, but the Cubs proved to be in a better position to make a deal with Houston.
For Houston, the addition of Paredes would seem to indicate that free agent third baseman Alex Bregman will not return to the Astros. Paredes, who turns 26 in February, is coming off a 2024 season for the Cubs and Rays in which he slashed .238/.346/.393 (112 OPS+) with 19 homers in 153 games played in total. For his career, he has an OPS+ of 113 with a WAR of 8.8 in games of five MLB seasons. Paredes is not eligible for free agency until after the 2027 season.
Wesneski, 27, has 22 major league starts and 46 relief appearances over three seasons to his credit. During that span, he posted a 3.93 ERA with a 4.74 FIP. He is under team control through the 2029 season.
Smith, 21, was the Cubs’ first pick in the draft in June — the 14th overall pick out of the state of Florida. A speedy lineman, Smith, in his lone professional season, saw action at three different levels of the Cubs system, including a brief taste of Double-A. In 32 total games, Smith hit .313/.396/.609 with 16 extra-base hits.
