Veteran MLB Exec Slammed for Making Kyle Tucker the Fall Guy Amid Cubs’ Struggles

Watching the Cubs right now is pretty rough. For most of 2025, they’ve been one of the league’s best offensive teams, but ever since the All-Star break, their bats have gone ice cold, and it’s been a frustrating stretch to say the least. Now, that’s insiders like Jim Bowden pointing the finger at Kyle Tucker. But is he really the Cubs’ biggest concern? Notably, in their first five games of August, the team as a whole has averaged just 2.4 runs while hitting .192 with a .295 slugging percentage. And that slump surely goes way beyond just Tucker.

“However, the two-month-long slump was wearing on him, mentally and physically, until he got a break last week and sat for three consecutive games. It looks like the rest helped, as Tucker had hit .295/.355/.630 over his last seven games entering Tuesday,” former MLB executive Jim Bowden went no-holds-barred against Tucker.

And now to make things even more complicated, Tucker actually looked like he was turning a corner in the weekend series against the Angels. So when Bowden singled him out, a lot of people pushed back, saying Tucker was being unfairly scapegoated for a team-wide problem.

“In a general sense, yes, if Tucker isn’t Tucker, there’s no reason to expect much from the Cubs’ offense in October. However, Tucker’s slump isn’t the biggest issue facing the Cubs ahead of the playoffs.” MLB journalist Jordan Campbell took a sly dig at Bowden.

According to Campbell, more than Tucker, Michael Busch is a bigger concern for the Cubs. Coming into Thursday’s game against the Giants, he was hitting just .205/.260/.393 while batting leadoff. And guess what, that’s not exactly what you want setting the tone for the lineup.

Moreover, Seiya Suzuki has been every bit as cold over the last month, yet it seems to get overlooked. And what makes it worse is that Craig Counsell keeps penciling him into the lineup no matter what. With his career low BA of .245 and OBP of .318, Suzuki is surely a concern for the Cubs. So while Tucker’s struggles aren’t forgotten, they’re far from the Cubs’ only problem as the team heads toward the playoffs.

Kyle Tucker is back in business and how!

Kyle Tucker finally broke through with his first home run in 34 days during the Cubs’ 3-2 win over the Angels on Friday. But that was just the beginning. He followed it up Saturday with two more homers and a double in a 12-1 blowout. So, basically, giving both himself and the Cubs’ offense the jolt they desperately needed. In that one weekend alone, Tucker matched the number of extra-base hits he’d managed over his previous 39 games combined.

But as encouraging as that was, it also reignited the conversation about his future in Chicago. Well, not long ago, it felt like Tucker was a lock for a deal north of $400 million this winter. But then came the slump, and reports that he’d been playing through an injury. That casts some doubt on just how much he’ll command.

Now, though, it looks like he’s finally getting healthy and finding his swing again. Even so, $400 million is a massive commitment for a player having a down year by his own standards. That makes this final month, plus any postseason games, all the more important. Hence, if Tucker catches fire again, a lot of those doubts disappear, and that mega-contract will be right back on the table. The Cubs might break their bank in that case.