When Vladimir Guerrero Jr. signed that $500 million mega-deal with Toronto, jaws didn’t drop—they hit the floor. A first baseman getting half a billion? That’s unheard of in the Major League Baseball world. But Vladdy wanted this, and he gunned for it. And while this is great news for him and the Toronto Blue Jays, the other teams are out there sweating. One such team is the Chicago Cubs!

They have their star, Kyle Tucker, and he is just as good. Plus, with Vlad Guerrero Jr. out of the picture, he sits pretty in the next off-season if not given an extension. Teams would be gawking at him, and for the Cubs, this isn’t such great news. Because at the end of the day, Tucker was brought to light up Chicago, and he is doing just that.

Even in these early stretches, Tucker managed to slash a .322/.452/.678 with five home runs, and he leads the team in hits (19) and runs scored (16). The Cubs, right now or even in the future, cannot afford to lose their $16.5 million star. And it’s something that Chris Young, the MLB analyst, truly believes too.

Chris Young said at the show, “After seeing the Vladdy deal, I understand he is the hometown guy with Toronto. But if I’m the Chicago Cubs, I’m not letting Kyle Tucker get to free agency. I am at least trying to make an offer to see if I can go ahead and retain Kyle Tucker right now.” And he has got a point.

The Chicago Cubs have the flexibility to go out there and get a player like Kyle Tucker. The proof? They went after Alex Bregman last off-season. So they can go after Tucker as well. But Young pointed out the elephant in the room, “It all depends on what that number turned into after that Vladdy deal. Is Kyle Tucker a $500 million player?” And well, according to someone close to Kyle Tucker, he sure is.

On the Cubs Daily Podcast, Lance Brozdowski talked about how he had a chat with Excel Sports Management. This is Tucker’s agency, and he got the numbers—10 years, $475 million. Sure, these numbers are coming from the agency, but Brozdowski did say that he doesn’t feel the numbers are outrageous. And he isn’t wrong. Tucker is a player they can build around. Moreover, the Cubs have been on a rebuild since 2021. Almost all the players who led them to the 2016 WS have been traded away. So giving Tucker a great deal seems to be the way to go.

But what about Tucker—does he want to stay?

Does Kyle Tucker want to remain with the Chicago Cubs?

Now the Cubs GM Carter Hawkins earlier this season was clear—Kyle Tucker is the kind of player you build a team around. “He’s the kind of guy you build a team around. Just watching the way he prepares, the way he carries himself in the clubhouse — he’s a cornerstone player.” And he is one hundred percent right, but the front office is seeing the value. The half-a-billion-dollar question is—does Tucker see him staying? Especially now, since he has seen the market value rise?

Well, Tucker was recently asked about it, and it doesn’t seem like he is a guy who went rushing for extension talks. “It was what [Guerrero] wanted to do, and I’m sure he loves playing in Toronto and everything. So that’s great for him. But everyone’s a little different. Right now, I’m here to play this year and play for the Cubs. So I’m excited to get out there and play again [Monday night] and just kind of see where everything goes after that.” This is a measured reply. So he is locked for the season, but long term—he isn’t sure.

But that being said, he isn’t unhappy in Chicago. Talking to reporters, he did say that everyone has been really nice towards him. The hospitality has been great. Tucker added, “So I don’t know. I’m just here to play some baseball and see what happens after that.” So Tucker’s loving the experience. But love doesn’t translate to extension. Juan Soto loved the Yankees too, didn’t he? In the end, numbers do the talking.

And with superstars getting super deals, Tucker too would want something substantial, wouldn’t he? Do you think he will breach the $500 million mark? Let us know.