Astros look smarter by the day as Kyle Tucker’s asking price explodes

Houston Astros fans knew well before Kyle Tucker was traded to the Chicago Cubs that he wasn't going to spend the rest of his career in Space City. If Houston ever had plans to lock up Tucker on a long-term extension, those hopes faded after his first All-Star season in 2022. He put up even better numbers in 2023, and it became a matter of when, not if, the Astros were going to trade him.

The Astros ultimately settled on a deal last offseason with the Cubs that brought back Isaac Paredes, Cam Smith, and Hayden Wesneski in return. Paredes had a fine year in 2025 before landing on the IL, Smith experienced the highs and lows of being an MLB rookie, and Wesneski will likely miss most of the upcoming season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

As for Tucker, he posted a .266/.377/.464 slash line with Chicago, but the Cubs fell short of the ultimate prize. As was the case with the Astros, the Cubs decided Tucker wasn't worth the investment and chose not to re-sign him.

The four-time All-Star is now lingering on the free agent market, but things are starting to heat up. In fact, the figures being tossed around are so absurd that Astros fans can do nothing more than just shake their heads.

The Mets are offering former Astros slugger Kyle Tucker an absurd amount of money

According to FanSided's Robert Murray, the New York Mets submitted a short-term deal to Tucker that's worth $50 million per year. That is an insane amount of money, and the average annual value (AAV) would only be topped by Shohei Ohtani ($70 million AAV) and Juan Soto ($51 million). One of those two is the greatest player on the planet, and the other is still just 27 years old and is arguably one of the top-3 players in baseball.

Tucker is not in that tier, and some are even outright questioning his desire and passion. Joel Sherman of the New York Post openly questioned whether or not Tucker burned to play baseball and suggested that he wouldn't give long-term money to a player like that. Sherman may be onto something, and it would seem that the Mets might agree.

In addition to the Mets, the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers are also rumored to be chasing Tucker this offseason. The Blue Jays are thought to be offering a long-term deal, while LA is in a similar boat with the Mets and is offering the short-term variety.

One thing's for sure: the Astros were right to part ways when they did. Houston got a potential cornerstone in Smith and a player that fits their ballpark very well in Paredes. All the Cubs will have to show for their efforts is an empty trophy case and a draft pick in July. This was a clear win for the Astros.