BB King Tuck? Jed Hoyer Calls Kyle Tucker ‘Type of Player You Want to Build Team Around’

The Cubs debuted their new Chicago Blues alternate uniforms on Saturday; baseball could be abbreviated as “BB;” Kyle Tucker‘s nickname is King Tuck. Put it all together and you could have the city’s second B.B. King. While the left fielder probably doesn’t have much in common with the legendary bluesman, he’s got a chance to become a Chicago institution if he sticks around longer than just this season.

The likelihood of that future is very much in doubt, ranging from mildly conceivable to snowball’s-chance-in-St. Louis depending on who you ask, and one person is being asked about it quite often. Media members will continue badgering Jed Hoyer about an extension for Tucker until such time as either a deal is done or the superstar hits free agency.

“Obviously, he’s a great player,” Hoyer told reporters prior to Friday’s home opener. “That’s why we traded for him. Clearly he’s the type of player you want to build a lineup around, build a team around. Any conversations we have with him, we’ll keep internal. So there’s no point in asking all the time, I guess — yeah, I know you will. But yeah, like I said, it’s a process.

“I’m excited, I think he’ll learn what Wrigley’s all about over the next few months, which I think is really important. There’ll be nicer days than this that he’ll enjoy. I’m excited to have him and, like I said, anyone wants a player like that long-term.”

We all know well enough by now not to read much into what Hoyer says publicly, but there’s no doubt he’d like to find a way to ink Turner to a new contract. Bruce Levine seemingly hinted at the possibility earlier in the week, tweeting somewhat cryptically about comments Turner made during Cubs Convention. The lack of immediate context for the tweet had some reading tea leaves, but it could just as easily have been a stray thought sneaking to the surface.

If the Cubs do exchange numbers with Tucker’s camp, their initial offer may have to be roughly twice as big as the largest contract they’ve ever done (Jason Heyward 8/$184M). I jokingly commented on a report of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. nearing an extension of more than $500 million with the Blue Jays that it will take that much for the Cubs to keep Tucker, but I stand by the fact that Tucker is the better player even if he is two years older. That and his injury-shortened 2024 campaign suppress his projections, leading FanGraphs’ Jay Jaffe to offer a far lower figure.

Jaffe is skeptical of Tucker getting as much as $300 million and wrote that Dan Szymborski suggested $270 million as the target, but those numbers strike me as being very light. Even the more optimistic estimates used in Jaffe’s column show Tucker peaking at 4.2 fWAR in 2026, which would equal what he posted last season in just 339 plate appearances. He was at 4.9 or 5.0 in each of the three previous seasons and is already at 0.9 with the Cubs, putting him on pace for 11 fWAR this season.

As far-fetched a total as that might be, I don’t think it’s a stretch to see him setting a career high with 6+ fWAR in 2025 and maintaining similar production for several more years. The injury ding seems odd to me because he suffered a fracture in his shin when he fouled a ball off his leg. Not exactly a chronic issue. Tucker’s 21.8 fWAR since the start of 2020 ranks ninth overall, and he would probably be inside the top seven with a full 2024. His 144 wRC+ ranks 10th, within a few points of Vladito (142), Ronald Acuña Jr. (146), Mookie Betts (147), and Bryce Harper (149).

While being two years Guerrero Jr.’s senior is certainly a hindrance, playing Gold Glove defense and being worth many more runs on the bases makes up for some of that. Then there’s the notion that the Cubs could really use a superstar to prove to their fans and the rest of the league that they’re serious about doing what it takes to win. Tucker is the best player to don a Cubs uniform since Kris Bryant from 2015-17, a star who can win games by himself and/or make it easier for his teammates to perform at their best.

Many had hoped they’d be in the market for Juan Soto as such a foundational piece, but that was never a legitimate possibility even before his bidding rocketed into the stratosphere. Hoyer hinted at the Tucker trade and the Cubs’ general strategy when asked about Soto at the Winter Meetings, and Carter Hawkins subsequently spoke about paying more for the additional wins needed to get from 85 to 87 and beyond.

“There is nothing that precludes us from being involved in those players,” Hoyer said. “We did, organizationally, decide not to pursue that one. It doesn’t mean in the future we won’t, but that was one we didn’t.”

It may just be that the front office was willing to spend big in terms of player capital, but it would be awfully short-sighted — even for potential lame-duck leaders — to push in so heavily for one season. Especially knowing how many teams in the NL alone are still superior on paper. As strange as it sounds knowing how much Tucker is going to cost, I can’t help but think that Hoyer may view even a deal of up to $500 million as a good value.

Hoyer loves a bargain more than a coupon connoisseur with a fistful of Kohl’s Cash, so it’s entirely possible he’s thinking about how much of a discount he’ll get compared to the $700 million deals headlining the last two winters. Rather than viewing Tucker as costing $400 million, he’ll save the Cubs $100 million or more. Makes sense to me.