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The Chicago Cubs took a big swing this past offseason and it has paid off.
The team opted to trade away franchise outfielder Cody Bellinger to the New York Yankees and bring in Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros as a replacement. Tucker has been one of baseball's best power-speed combinations throughout his career, but he is heading toward a lucrative free agency at the end of this season, making the move a potential gamble on just one year before he opts for another deal with a new team.
Tucker has rewarded the Cubs' decision by leading the team to a first-place standing in the National League Central division and one of the best records in the sport. But that success adds even more pressure to Tucker's long-term contract situation.
"No one has made more money this first month of the season than Tucker, whose free-agent value has skyrocketed from $300 million to perhaps more than $500 million," USA Today's Bob Nightengale wrote in a recent update on the deal's rising value.
For his part, Tucker has opted not to discuss his looming free agency situation. Last week, the New York Post's Jon Heyman noted the player "didn't want to talk about any potential talks."
But Tucker was forced to break that silence in a recent interview when ESPN Chicago's Carmen DeFalco asked him to acknowledge the calls for an extension coming from Cubs fans.
"It's nice, hearing it from fans that they want me to stay with the team and how much support and love they're giving you and everything," Tucker said. "For the most part, I just focus on playing ball and doing my part to win those games and kind of let those other pieces fall into place whenever they shall."
While Tucker seems to enjoy playing in Chicago, he stopped short of definitively indicating whether he'd like to sign an extension. But he seems open-minded, and the Cubs should take that as a sign that the right offer can keep their new franchise slugger from ever reaching the open market.
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