Cubs-Astros trade revenge complete as Houston gets rocked by Kyle Tucker

With the Kyle Tucker trade coming full circle this weekend as the Houston Astros play host to the Chicago Cubs, it was Cam Smith and the Astros who got the first laugh on Friday night. The way things started on Saturday night, it seemed that Smith was going to be the star of the show on Saturday night as well. After the Astros faced an early 1-0 deficit on Saturday, Smith had a swing that, at the time, shifted all the momentum to the streaking Astros.

Sure, the Astros need a left-handed hitter, and Tucker would have easily checked that box. That said, the reality was the Astros were never going to be the team to pay Tucker the contract he will command this season. With that in mind, getting the Cubs to give Smith as part of the trade between the two teams was a stroke of genius. With his ascending performance during his rookie season for the Astros, it's become clear that Smith will be at the center of the Astros' contending core for a long time.

That said, playing against Tucker is always painful, and the Astros finally learned that lesson on Friday night. As part of a 7-run 4th inning for the Cubs, Tucker had a three-run home run that flipped the game on its head.

Tucker's home run gave the Cubs a 7-2 lead, and for the Astros, the damage was done. For the rightful excitement there is for Smith and his growth in the outfield, Tucker's game on Saturday night was a painful reminder of the superstar Houston gave up. Tucker finished the game 4-5 with 3 RBI and 4 runs scored. As Astros fans were aware of last season, when healthy, Tucker is in the MVP conversation. With the Cubs this season, Tucker is picking up where his 2024 season with the Astros left off.

Not to be forgotten, Isaac Paredes added a home run for the Astros in the 8th inning of their loss on Saturday.

All three major pieces of the Kyle Tucker trade went yard on Saturday night

A forgotten member of the trade, at first, Paredes has carved out a nice home for himself while playing third base for the Astros. The short porch in left field is one of the primary reasons why the Astros targeted him as part of the Tucker trade. Along those lines, of Paredes' 17 home runs this season, 16 of them have been to left field.

The Astros' loss to the Cubs on Saturday was defined by the Tucker trade. The other piece of the trade, Hayden Wesneski, is continuing his recovery from Tommy John surgery.

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