3 blockbuster Kyle Tucker trade packages that Astros fans could accept

With the word that the Houston Astros are "listening" to trade offers for Kyle Tucker (and Framber Valdez), the offseason has been turned on it's head. Odds are that the Astros will keep Tucker, as they are looking to compete in 2025 and still hold out hope that they will be able to bring back Alex Bregman.

Still, given Houston's current payroll situation and the increasingly strong likelihood that the Astros won't be able to pay Tucker beyond 2025 at his rising value, it is worth thinking about moving him.

Fortunately, a few teams have revealed themselves as interested in Tucker, including the Yankees and Cubs. That makes thinking about potential trades a little easier.

Astros pay Yankees pay a hefty price for Kyle Tucker

The Yankees and Astros are a tough pairing, as New York is clearly still in their feelings regarding the sign-stealing scandal, which isn't the best starting point for talks. New York also made a rental trade for a high-end outfielder last offseason and their reward for that was watching Juan Soto sign with the Mets.

However, the Yankees do have some interesting prospects in their system, including a top-end power hitting prospect that Houston could consider as the centerpiece of a trade.

It would not be a crazy ask to include Jasson Dominguez instead of Jones, but we have the Astros being a bit magnanimous here in our projections.

Jones possesses loads of raw power and was considered to be one of the better hitting prospects in baseball before a bit of a down year in 2024. Cunningham and Beeter are both arms with significant upside, with Beeter closer to the majors, albeit with some reliever risk attached, and Cunningham a recent draft pick out of high school who could provide some depth in Houston's lower minor league levels. For one year of Tucker, that seems about right.

Cubs finally make a splash with Kyle Tucker trade that reloads Astros' farm system

With the Cubs looking to unload Cody Bellinger, that would obviously create the need for an outfield upgrade. However, it also feels like they want to clear some payroll, which makes moving Bellinger probably a prerequisite to this sort of trade here. Horton is a starting pitching prospect with an insanely high ceiling, thanks to his fastball/slider combo that got him picked in the top 10 back in 2022.

This trade would also give the Astros a young shortstop to develop in Cruz, who is loaded with athleticism, at least plus raw power and speed, and could serve as a Jeremy Peña replacement down the line. Don't sleep on Jaxon Wiggins in this package, as he had a chance to be a really high draft pick in 2023 before he suffered an arm injury.

Braves swoop in and snag Kyle Tucker to fill need for lefty outfielder

This is a fun one, because while the Braves have not been overtly connected to Tucker, Atlanta definitely wants a lefty hitting outfielder this offseason, and it is hard to imagine a better option than Tucker with that profile (other than Soto, of course). Baldwin and Waldrep are the headliners here, as Baldwin has quickly established himself as one of the better catching prospects in baseball, which could free Yainer Diaz up to DH (or even play at first base more often).

Waldrep has some wildness to him, but his fastball/splitter combo is high-end stuff, and he already has seen time in the big leagues. As for McCabe, he has some feel for hitting and has power, but dealt with an injury last year. That makes him a bit of a project, even though he was drafted out of college.

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