Kyle Tucker’s Projected Price Tag Sparks Cubs Fan Backlash as Free Agency Looms: “We Better Not…”

We haven’t seen a single-season swing like Kyle Tucker’s 2025 in a long time. Back in April, when he was hitting .279/.386/.549 with seven homers and 27 RBIs, USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale saw a future contract well in excess of $500 million. Fast forward to the narrative shifting after a nosedive in performance in July and August, and with just one month left, Jeff Passan now hints at Tucker’s final price tag.

Passan revealed the “Cubs Weekly Podcast” recently, “I’ve talked with other people in the industry, whether it’s with clubs, agents, or other players, about what they think Kyle Tucker is going to be at. Right now, they think the over/under has gone down to $400 million.”

The reason is obvious: Since the All-Star Break this year to August 20, Tucker has managed just a .182/.333/.239 slash line. He hit only one home run through all of July and also struck out 21 times in August. And with this, his OPS stuck around .660 across both months.

Commenting on that, Passan said, “I want to acknowledge that Kyle Tucker’s swoon through July and into August has a chance to demonstrably affect what that final number might be. He needs to finish strong if he wants to be in that 450-plus range.”

And about the Cubs’ chance of going after that price tag, Passan was optimistic. But he was cautious too, referencing their history from last season with Alex Begman. “I’ve said ‘yes’ in the past, and I will still say ‘yes’ now. But I think the Cubs are going to have a limit that they’re not going to want to go past,” Passan said.

As the news unfolded, everyone expected the fans to be simply happy with that news price tag, as it was over $100 M less than his previous expected value. But it was not happening..

The $400 Million Question.. and the divided fanbase

One fan doubts ownership’s willingness to cross the $400 million line. “I doubt the Rickettes would even go as high as 400.” The Cubs’ largest contract ever is still Jason Heyward’s $184 million deal from 2015. More recently, the team offered Alex Bregman a four-year contract worth $120 million. He signed for the exact same amount with Boston but over three years, with $10 million difference in yearly salary.

Other fans are looking at Tucker’s recent cold streak. “We better not be in the mix. He isn’t even the best on our team this season.” Another just repeated that same feeling, saying, “Nope, no thanks, bye, adios, good luck with your next team #Cubs”

On the surface, that fan has a point as Pete Crow-Armstrong leads the Cubs with 28 homers and 31 steals, and Seiya Suzuki has driven in 89 runs. And Nico Hoerner tops the lineup with a .289 average.  But Tucker’s OBP of .383 and 4.8 WAR is still the best on the team.

Of course, some fans try to find a middle ground. “More like $250-280. Has had only half a season for great success last year and the first half earlier in the season.” Yes, Tucker’s 2024 was shortened to 78 games after a shin fracture. But in those 78 games, he posted a .289 average, a .993 OPS, 23 homers, and 4.7 WAR — MVP-level numbers, right? And this season before the All-Star break? He was having another career year with 17 homers.

That’s why one fan concluded that prioritizing his overall production over the years, “These fools just need something to talk about. Tucker is a perennial 4.5war player. He isn’t worth $400m lmao”.

But still, for all the talk of slumps and doubts,  Kyle Tucker had to answer the debate the only way he knows. And thankfully, he’s doing that—he is hitting .389 with 14 hits and 3 home runs in his last 10 games.