Kyle Tucker's farewell Instagram video to Houston is giving Astros fans false hope

So you're telling me there's a chance?

That's the vibe Houston Astros fans are riding with after Kyle Tucker posted a farewell video on his Instagram account after being traded to the Chicago Cubs earlier this week. It featured a montage of big moments from his Astros career, including him raising the Commissioner's Trophy during the team's World Series parade in 2022.

Normally, these are emotional posts for fans to see - but there's a glimmer of hope in Tucker's video. Or, at least, that's what some Astros faithful are telling themselves as they anxiously await what else this offseason may hold for them. The three-time All-Star used the song 'See You Again,' by Wiz Khalifa - originally written as a tribute to the late actor Paul Walker as part of the Furious 7 soundtrack.

Kyle Tucker's Astros farewell video hints Houston will "see him again"

Will we see King Tuck again? Never say never. As things currently stand, he'll play 2025 in Chicago before hitting free agency, looking to cash in on a massive payday next winter. The gaudy contract Juan Soto landed only helped Tucker's chances of landing a big-time deal on the open market, and it'll be an interesting case to watch. Soto hit the market heading into his age-26 season and Tucker will be entering his age-29 campaign, but the latter is widely regarded as a more well-rounded player.

It'll be strange in Houston next year, with Tucker gone and Alex Bregman likely playing elsewhere. That leaves Jose Altuve as the last man standing from the Astros' longtime core after Carlos Correa and George Springer also departed in free agency in recent years.

But if this long-shot hope of a reunion next winter has any chance of coming to fruition, it'll require Astros owner Jim Crane going far above and beyond anything he's ever offered contract-wise. The largest deal in franchise history belongs to Altuve at five years, $151 million - technically an extension for the longtime Houston second baseman. No free agent has gotten more than $100 million from the Astros - and that went to outfielder Carlos Lee way back in 2007 on a six-year deal.

So is there a chance? Sure. But a lot of things will have to break the Astros' way if Tucker is to call Houston home again in his career. The safer bet is that he's moved on to better-paying pastures, leaving behind a solid legacy in the city he started his career in.