Red Sox
Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker has been listed as the top potential free agent this offseason.
In the immediate aftermath of the Rafael Devers trade, the Red Sox have yet to replace his bat with a hitter of similar quality. But there is a possible option they could pursue this offseason to help replace Devers in the lineup.
As Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker appears set to hit free agency this upcoming offseason, the New York Post‘s Jon Heyman listed the Red Sox among a few teams who he expects to pursue the star slugger if he hits the open market.
“You mentioned the Red Sox, that is a possibility,” Heyman said on MLB Network. “The Cubs, that’s a big market team and they are doing well. They need to give it a try. That said, he’s a free agent, he’s only been there a year and there are going to be other teams. Never count out the San Francisco Giants at this point, they look like an aggressive team.
“The Red Sox have a lot of outfielders, but we have heard of [outfielder Jarren] Duran possibly on the market. They are a possibility as well because they really have to do something to make up for Devers.”
Tucker, 28, has arguably been one of the best left-handed hitters in baseball over the last few years. Before getting traded to the Cubs over the offseason, Tucker had been named an All-Star in each of the three previous seasons with the Astros. He recorded a .275 batting average and a .878 OPS over that stretch, which included a fifth-place finish in AL MVP voting in 2023. He’s also hit for power, posting 23 homers in just 78 games in 2024 as he missed the majority of the season due to a shin injury.
It appears Tucker will continue his All-Star streak in 2025 as well. He hit his 14th home run of the season on Saturday as he entered the day with a .284 batting average and a .908 OPS. His OPS was the seventh-best in the National League entering Saturday, while he was sixth in the National League in stolen bases (18) and fifth in bWAR (3.1) entering the day.
As Tucker continues to perform at an All-Star level, early indications seem to be that he’ll be the next player to receive a contract north of $300 million. In fact, ESPN’s Jeff Passan recently said that he believes Tucker will receive a deal north of $400 million, while The Athletic‘s Jim Bowden thinks he could earn a deal worth as much as $600 million.
Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer didn’t really provide much of an update on how the team’s contract extension negotiations with Tucker have gone when he was asked about it on Thursday, telling ESPN 1000 in Chicago that “those are discussions that’ll happen at a later point.”
“This guy is going to be a free agent at this point,” Heyman said of Tucker’s contract talks with the Cubs. “We thought maybe there would be some discussions, maybe they tried and it didn’t work.”
Following the Devers trade, the Red Sox are well below the luxury tax threshold for the 2026 season. They have roughly $197 million committed in payroll for 2026, per Red Sox Payroll, as the luxury tax threshold is projected to be at $244 million. That payroll number includes the salaries of players who have options for the 2026 season (Alex Bregman, Trevor Story, Walker Buehler, Lucas Giolito).
As for Tucker’s fit, the Red Sox have a surplus of outfielders following Roman Anthony’s call-up. But, as Heyman mentioned, Duran and Wilyer Abreu’s names have been floated around in trade rumors in recent months as a potential means to improve the Red Sox’ pitching.
But the Red Sox likely won’t get a chance to acquire Tucker until the offseason. Entering Saturday with a 45-30 record, the Cubs seem firmly in the mix to win the NL pennant and potentially win a title this year, making it unlikely they’d want to trade one of their best players at the deadline.
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