Well, if you want to feel optimistic about the Cubs signing Kyle Tucker to a contract extension, then David Kaplan has exciting news for you. According to the Chicago insider the Cubs may actually do everything they can to keep the star right fielder longterm as Kaplan recently claimed on his podcast that the team is willing to break the bank for Tucker. At least that’s what Kaplan said he’s hearing.
Earlier in April there were a couple reports that surfaced from Mike Rodriguez, who said the Cubs were discussing a potential extension for Tucker, while Hector Gomez offered up specific numbers, reporting the Cubs were floating a deal worth somewhere in the range of $450 million – $500 million over 10 or 11 years. Those online rumors were quickly shot down by ESPN’s Jesse Rogers and a little later on by national baseball insider Robert Murray.
So, it seemed like any hopes of the Cubs attempting to lure Tucker away from hitting free agency were dead until now if you believe Kaplan. The Chicago media personality said the following on the Cubs REKAP Podcast Monday night.
Via Cubs REKAP Podcast.
“I’m hearing that the Cubs have wrapped their brain around — now, it doesn’t mean he’ll accept it — have wrapped their brain around ‘Whatever it costs, we’re paying it.’ And they want to keep Tucker.”
… I think they are (going to pay the cost of doing business).
Gordon Wittenmyer, former Cubs beat writer for the Chicago Sun-Times and current Reds beat writer for the Cincinnati Enquirer, is Kaplan’s co-host and he was skeptical about Cubs ownership actually stepping up and paying what it would take to keep Tucker.
At this point I think most Cubs fans agree that they’re not going to buy any of these rumors until something gets done. We were just reminded by Bryce Harper how unwilling Cubs ownership can be to go after star players with huge contracts even when said players have the Cubs at the top of their wishlist.
Yet, if you do want to have high hopes for a Tucker extension, then you’ll obviously love to see these comments by Kaplan. He pushed back on Wittenmyer’s skepticism with this.
“I think they will (go near that 10-year, $420M range). I (think they’re gonna get it done). I believe wholeheartedly they will get the deal done with him *if he wants to be here.* I believe they are convinced they gotta break the bank for him.”
The Tucker discussion between Kaplan and Wittenmyer begins at the 16:46 mark.
Additionally, Bleacher Nation writer Michael Cerami shared his own insights on Tuesday.
Via Bleacher Nation.
And I’ll take it a step further with some additional reporting of my own. I have heard that Kyle Tucker does like the Cubs and would be theoretically interested in an extension, but first wants to feel out the organization and the city before deciding to engage in full-on negotiations (not all that surprising, seeing as he has a family and is presumably going to sign a decade+ long deal).
Great. The Cubs are preparing to actually have serious extension talks and position themselves to make a legit offer, while Tucker seems willing to eventually sit down and negotiate. Only one thing matters though and it’s ultimately whether or not the Ricketts will give Jed Hoyer the green light to offer a massive contract to keep Kyle Tucker.
That Jason Heyward contract, which was signed 10 years ago, remains the biggest Cubs contract in franchise history. It would be nice if ownership proves fans wrong and actually does everything it can to sign Tucker.
We’ll see. In the meantime, Tucker does seem to love playing at Wrigley.
