It's official: Cubs trade three players for All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker |
CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs today acquired outfielder Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros for infielder Isaac Paredes, right-handed pitcher Hayden Wesneski and minor-league infielder Cam Smith. The 40-man roster stands at 39 players.
Tucker, 27, owns a .274 batting average (615-for-2,241) with 135 doubles, 16 triples, 125 home runs, 417 RBI, 94 stolen bases, a .353 on-base percentage and an .870 OPS in 633 career games with the Houston Astros since debuting in 2018. The left-handed-hitting outfielder is a three-time All-Star (2022-24) and won a Gold Glove Award and World Series championship in 2022 and a Silver Slugger Award in 2023. Among American League players since 2021 (min. 2,000 PA), he ranks third in OPS (.888) and slugging percentage (.527), eighth in RBI (360) and 10th in home runs (112). He is one of four major league players with at least 100 home runs and 80 stolen bases since 2021, joining Shohei Ohtani, José Ramírez and Francisco Lindor. His 21.2 WAR since 2021 ranks fourth in the A.L., trailing Aaron Judge (31.9), José Ramírez (24.7) and Marcus Semien (24.1). The six-foot four-inch Tucker made his major league debut with Houston on July 7, 2018, at age 21, becoming the fifth-youngest player in Astros’ franchise history to record at least one hit and one RBI in their major league debut. He enjoyed a breakout season during the 2020 campaign, making his first Opening Day roster, leading the major leagues with six triples and finishing tied for sixth in the A.L. in RBI (42). He led the Astros in hits (56), triples, RBI, stolen bases (8), total bases (107) and extra-base hits (27) and was named a finalist for the A.L. Gold Glove Award in left field. In 2021, Tucker batted .294 (149-for-506) with 37 doubles, three triples, 30 home runs, 92 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 140 games, becoming the third player in Astros franchise history (also Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman) to record a 30-homer season prior to turning 25. He was named the A.L. Player of the Month for September/October after batting .346 (36-for-104) with eight home runs and 19 RBI and, after May 1, led the A.L. in average (.320), slugging percentage (.600), on-base percentage (.387) and OPS (.986). Tucker recorded back-to-back 100-plus RBI seasons in 2022 and 2023, earning All-Star honors in both campaigns. He was the only player in the major leagues with at least 30 home runs and 25 steals in 2022 and in 2023 finished fifth in the A.L. MVP voting. His 112 RBI during the 2023 season led the A.L., joining Lance Berkman (128 in 2002) and Jeff Bagwell (116 in 1994) as the only Astros to lead their league in RBI. He also ranked among the A.L. leaders in OPS (4th), on-base percentage (6th, .369), average (6th), stolen bases (7th) and walks (7th, 80) and was one of three A.L. players (also Bobby Witt Jr. and Julio Rodríguez) to record at least 29 home runs and 29 stolen bases. In 2024, Tucker batted .289 (89-for-277) with 13 doubles, 23 home runs, 49 RBI, 11 stolen bases, a .408 on-base percentage and a .993 OPS in 78 games. Prior to being placed on the injured list due to a shin contusion on June 7, his 19 home runs were tied for second in the majors, trailing Aaron Judge (21). He tied an Astros franchise record by recording 17 home runs through the team’s first 50 games of the season. A native of Tampa, Fla., Tucker was selected in the first round (fifth overall) by the Astros in the 2015 draft out of H.B. Plant High School (Fla.). Prior to signing with the Astros, he was committed to the University of Florida. Paredes, 25, in parts of five major league seasons with Detroit (2020-21), Tampa Bay (2022-24) and the Cubs (2024), is batting .232 (357-for-1,537) with 72 doubles, two triples, 72 home runs and 234 RBI in 464 games. Wesneski, 27, went 9-13 with a 3.93 ERA (83 ER/190.0 IP) and 183 strikeouts in 68 career major league games (22 starts) with the Cubs since making his major league debut in 2022. Smith, 21, batted .313 (36-for-115) with five doubles, four triples, seven home runs and 24 RBI in 32 games between Single-A Myrtle Beach (15 games), High-A South Bend (12 games) and Double-A Tennessee last season, after he was selected by the Cubs in the first round (14th overall) in the 2024 draft. Details on media availability for Tucker will be announced later. dealt a king 👑 pic.twitter.com/nEWF01Jkzm First look at Kyle Tucker in Cubs threads 👀 pic.twitter.com/ONejAHdBo3 Hayden and Isaac, we appreciate your hard work and dedication during your time in Chicago. Kyle Tucker checks every single box for the Cubs ✅
Best of luck in Houston! pic.twitter.com/gNFRGkglFP
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