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Houston Astros fans were ready to riot when the team decided to trade Kyle Tucker this past offseason. While it was apparent that Tucker and the Astros were never going to come to terms on an extension, trading away an All-Star outfielder while expecting to be in playoff contention felt very much like waving the white flag on the 2025 season.
Tucker got off to a hot start with the Cubs, which didn't help those hurt feelings, but the trade has aged well for the Astros. Despite his hamstring injury, Isaac Paredes was playing great for Houston before his trip to the IL, and Cam Smith's potential is off the charts.
Securing both Paredes and Smith in exchange for one year of Tucker was justifiable, and that doesn't even account for injured pitcher Hayden Wesneski. Tucker's recent slump, however, now has this trade looking like it may have been an absolute stroke of genius from Dana Brown and the Astros front office.
Kyle Tucker's slump is a reminder that the Astros' front office may know what they are doing
Heading into July, Tucker looked like he was going to force his way into the NL MVP race with a .290/.393/.530 slash line. The Cubs looked unstoppable with him in the lineup. Over his last 31 games, however, Tucker's production has dropped off significantly and he's hitting just .198/.344/.255. Tucker is still drawing walks at a good clip, but his power has basically disappeared. He has just one home run and four extra base hits over the last month and a half or so.
There's been speculation that Tucker is dealing with a finger injury, however, it's also a reminder that hanging on to a player who's about to get a major payday in free agency rather than trading him away can be quite the savvy move. All it takes is one injury, and then the team is left with nothing except a draft pick from a qualifying offer — that's not terribly exciting.
Tucker is too talented for this slump to last very long. He has a track record of being one of the better hitters in all of baseball, and he'll likely return to terrorizing the league soon enough. The Astros, however, still have to be feeling good about their return for given how things have turned out this season.