Kyle Tucker's openness to Cubs' extension talks further expose Astros' stubborn ways

The Houston Astros pulled off a blockbuster trade this past week, much to the chagrin of the fanbase. The Astros dealt outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for third baseman Isaac Paredes, pitcher Hayden Wesneski, and infield prospect Cam Smith.

While the trade brought back a nice return for Houston, it's hard to make the argument that the Astros are better without Tucker in the lineup. His bat has been one of the most consistent in the league for the last several seasons, and Houston will now be left to fill a giant void in right field.

During his introductory press conference with the Cubs, Tucker mentioned that he'd be open to discussing a contract extension with his new club before reaching free agency next offseason. Tucker never slammed the door to the idea of inking a multi-year extension with the Astros, but Jim Crane's longstanding policy not to hand out contract extensions longer than six seasons was undoubtedly the biggest driving force that pushed GM Dana Brown to trade Tucker last week.

Kyle Tucker's openness to Cubs' extension talks further exposes Astros' stubborn ways

The Houston faithful have already seen this type of behavior before. It happened with Carlos Correa and George Springer, and it now appears to be happening to Alex Bregman. To date, Crane's dogged determination has done little to derail the Astros' dominance. Houston has won seven of the last eight AL West titles and two World Series championships since 2017. It's hard to argue with success.

If the Astros lose Tucker and Bregman in the same offseason, while also dedicating $40 million worth of salary to Jose Abreu and Rafael Montero, that'll be a difficult needle for manager Joe Espada to thread in 2025.

The Astros moved on from Tucker because they knew they were not going to match his contract demands next offseason, so they got what they could from the Cubs. Framber Valdez is next in line to receive a contract extension, and you have to believe the same parameters that Crane set for all those who came before him will be in place if and when negotiations start.

At some point, Crane's luck is bound to run out. These player contracts may seem to be getting out of control, but the market is what it is, and no amount of well-intentioned guideline from Crane is going to change that. Houston will have to adjust their negotiating strategy, because if Crane continues his stubborn ways, and continues to dig his heels in during contract talks, Astros fans should expect to see more trades like Tucker's in the future.

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