Chicago Cubs-Kyle Tucker “real” story revealed on live TV?

The Chicago Cubs traded away their 2024 no. 1 draft pick Cam Smith, a solid every day third baseman in Isaac Paredes, and a promising young pitcher in Hayden Wesneski prior to the 2025 season for just one guaranteed year of the free-agency bound Kyle Tucker.

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Then, they didn’t really make much of an effort to re-sign the right fielder.

It was an odd move from a front office known for its pragmatism and conservative mindset—unless you really followed the Cubs and one of their major issues last season.

Tucker’s extended slump over the final three months of the season (and into the playoffs) hobbled a Cubs offense that he had helped fortify through the first three months. Even more frustrating, however, was a perceived lack of fire in getting his game turned around.

The four-time All-Star spent his final month as a Cub nursing a calf strain, languishing on the IL, and then working as a no-pop, no-RBI DH with a batting average hovering around league average.

The Cubs-Tucker “real” story

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Nobody from the Cubs blasted Tucker for the fizzle. On the contrary. The team was supportive and complimentary—even after they made it clear that they would be moving on by signing third baseman Alex Bregman to a 5-year, $175 contract.

But, little by little, the real story behind the public story is starting to emerge. Omitting Tucker from their official 2025 highlight reel at the Cubs convention in January certainly raised a few eyebrows. There have also been dribs and drabs making their way to the public, painting Tucker as a cold, detached loner who never quite bonded with the team.

Former Cubs pitcher and current broadcast analyst Rick Sutcliffe is the first to go on the record with what the organization may have really thought about Tucker.

Blasted over live TV

“I had a lot of people in Spring Training ask me about Tucker and Bregman,” Sutcliffe said during a recent telecast on the Marquee Sports Network. “What’s the difference? Is this just the same kind of deal? You got the same kind of player? I didn’t know then. I know now. No. Yeah their career averages are .272. Both of them. But this is a completely different guy. This guy is there to help everybody. Nothing against Kyle Tucker. He was quiet. He just didn’t chat. He didn’t really do anything with anybody other than himself and his computer.”

From a guarded, PR-conscious organization like the Cubs, an over-the-air statement like that is like slamming a bat into a big toe.

Nobody has made much of Sutcliffe’s declaration and the team has not made any official statement regarding it. If pushed, Chicago would surely fall back on the “that’s Sutcliffe’s personal opinion and doesn’t represent the views of out team” line.

But there was a reason the Cubs let Tucker drift away into free agency without putting up the slightest bit of a fight—and it didn’t have to do completely with the money or years attached to his contract.

The post Chicago Cubs-Kyle Tucker “real” story revealed on live TV? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-kyle-tucker-alex-bregman-rick-sutcliffe/