During the MLB offseason, the New York Yankees had the opportunity to swing a deal with the Houston Astros to acquire Kyle Tucker. However, the Yankees refused to give up pitcher Luis Gil, and the Astros traded Tucker to the Chicago Cubs.
Of course, Gil is on the shelf for the first few months of the year due to a lat injury, and Tucker is currently destroying baseballs in the Windy City.
Through nine games, Tucker is slashing .324/.444/.784 with four home runs, five doubles and 11 RBI over 45 plate appearances. So long as he stays healthy, he is already well on his way to his fourth straight All-Star appearance.
But could the Yankees get another shot at the Cubs outfielder?
Well, Thomas Carannante of Yanks Go Yard floats the possibility, noting that a “disastrous first half for the Cubs could still make this reality.”
Now, to be clear, Carannante’s piece was more bemoaning the fact that New York didn’t pull the trigger on a Tucker deal months ago, as a duo of Tucker and Aaron Judge in the middle of the Yankees’ lineup would have been beyond lethal (much like Judge and Juan Soto were last season).
But if Chicago does fall out of playoff contention by the trade deadline (which doesn’t seem very likely), there may be a chance that the Yankees could try and complete a trade for Tucker yet again.
Even then, though, New York would surely hesitate. Tucker is slated to hit free agency at the end of the season and may ultimately land a contract in excess of $600 million. The Yanks are not as free-spending as they once were, so that may be too rich for their blood.
Taking that into consideration, it appears rather unlikely that the Yankees would be willing to surrender a package of top prospects in any potential trade for Tucker given the fact that he could just be a half-year rental. Perhaps the Bronx Bombers make a run at the 28-year-old in free agency, but again, he may prove to be too expensive for a Yankees franchise that is now very cost-conscious.
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