CHICAGO -- Shortly after the World Series concluded, the Cubs’ front office went to work on canvassing other ballclubs about who might be available via trade. One of Chicago’s targets was star outfielder Kyle Tucker, entering his final year of control with the Astros.

The Cubs have been looking for ways to not only shake up their offense but also inject some more star power. Tucker more than fit the bill, so the North Siders began a dialogue with Houston’s front office that gained momentum through the Winter Meetings this week.

Negotiations culminated in a blockbuster trade on Friday, with the Cubs landing Tucker in exchange for third baseman Isaac Paredes, right-hander Hayden Wesneski and MLB Pipeline’s No. 73 overall prospect, third baseman Cam Smith.

TRADE DETAILS
Astros get: IF Isaac Paredes, RHP Hayden Wesneski, 3B Cam Smith
Cubs get: RF Kyle Tucker

“We're excited that we were able to get it across the finish line,” Cubs general manager Carter Hawkins said. “We're thrilled. He's been an offensive machine over the last several years, and we're excited to be able to insert that into our lineup. That's a bat that fits into any lineup in the league.”

Tucker joins a Cubs team that has won 83 games in each of the past two seasons, falling short of playoff expectations. While Chicago’s lineup is relatively deep, the group has lacked a true threat in the heart of the offense. Tucker brings a star-caliber bat to anchor manager Craig Counsell’s lineup.

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Hawkins said the goal was to improve the outlook for the 2025 Cubs without compromising the future of the franchise. While the Cubs’ GM called it “painful” to part with the talent shipped to the Astros, Chicago’s decision makers felt Tucker’s impact made it a worthy risk, given the desire to win now.

Last season, Tucker was limited to 78 games due to a small fracture in his right shin, but still managed to post 4.7 bWAR. For perspective, Chicago’s bWAR leader was shortstop Dansby Swanson, whose 4.0 mark was helped by his stellar defensive play.

Tucker had a slash line of .289/.408/.585 last season, with 23 home runs and more walks (56) than strikeouts (54) while making his third straight All-Star team. He returned in early September from the shin setback and hit .365 with a 1.040 OPS in 18 games down the stretch.

Tucker has spent his entire career with the Astros, picking up a Gold Glove for his play in right field in ’22 and adding a Silver Slugger Award to his résumé in ’23. He was also fifth in voting for the American League MVP Award in‘’23 after batting .284 with 29 homers, 112 RBIs and an .886 OPS.

Tucker, who will turn 28 on Jan. 17, is under club contractual control only through ’25, giving him a chance to enter free agency next winter or to try to reach a deal on an extension with the Cubs. Hawkins followed Cubs president of baseball operation Jed Hoyer’s policy of declining to comment on the possibility of extension talks.

“We made this deal,” Hawkins said, “kind of understanding that this deal had to be worth it for one year of Kyle Tucker. And we certainly felt like that was the case.”

In the meantime, Chicago has an elite hitter to work into an outfield that is crowded at the moment and could see more changes.

The Cubs have both Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki for the right field and designated hitter slots, though Bellinger is versatile enough to move to either center field or first base, as well. Both Bellinger and Suzuki have been the subject of trade rumors this offseason, so it is possible Tucker’s arrival could precede more moves.

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“It's not something that we necessarily have to do,” Hawkins said of another trade seeming inevitable. “There's different ways we can configure our roster that makes sense with our current roster, and that's definitely an alternative that we'll consider. But given our optionality here, given our depth, [trades are] at least something we'll explore.”

Paredes, acquired by the Cubs at the Trade Deadline last season, should be a good fit in Houston as an extreme pull hitter. In his brief stay in Chicago, he hit just .105 with a .317 OPS at Wrigley Field. Paredes batted .333 (.911 OPS) on the road while in a Cubs uniform.

Without Paredes, the Cubs have a vacancy at third base, but it is also possible that clears a path to the Opening Day roster for highly touted prospect Matt Shaw (Pipeline’s No. 1 Cubs prospect and No. 22 on the Top 100 list). Hawkins said the Cubs also will explore the open market for possible fits.

“That's something we'll tackle here in the coming weeks on the free-agent market,” Hawkins said. “And, certainly, I think if I'm a guy in Double-A or Triple-A last year that plays third base, I'm looking at Wrigley Field right now and saying, ‘Hey, I’ve got a path.’”

Wesneski, a Trade Deadline pickup for the Cubs in ’22, posted a 3.93 ERA in 68 appearances (22 starts) over the last three seasons. The Houston native dealt with a variety of injury setbacks in ’24 while bouncing between the rotation and bullpen.

The Cubs selected the 21-year-old Smith last summer with the 14th overall pick in the first round of the MLB Draft. The third baseman hit .313 with seven homers and a 1.005 OPS in 32 games as he climbed from Single-A to Double-A.

“It was really painful for Jed and I to make this move, from that perspective,” Hawkins said of the three players traded by the Cubs. “But I think it just speaks to how excited we were about the potential for Kyle.”