The Houston Astros made a couple of trades this offseason that sent impact players out of town. As their dynasty enters a new phase, they needed to prioritize young players and their payroll. The big one was outfielder Kyle Tucker, who was traded from the Astros to the Chicago Cubs with one year left on his contract. General manager Dana Brown spoke with Foul Territory about how the Juan Soto sweepstakes impacted that decision.
“We knew all along if Kyle Tucker goes to free agency, it’s going to be a guy that’s going to demand a lot. So we took a look at it, had been talking about it and we just put the works in play during the Winter Meetings and we felt like this is the best thing for the organization,” Brown said.
The Astros have Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez on big-money contracts that run for multiple years. Josh Hader is the highest-paid reliever in baseball history and Christian Walker joined the team on a three-year deal. With all of those expensive contracts on the books, they wanted to get value for Tucker.
The Astros got some value and now Tucker has to negotiate a contract with the Cubs. Will it prove to be the right choice for Houston?
The Astros must find a replacement for Kyle Tucker
Last year, Kyle Tucker only played 78 games due to a fractured right shin but was dominant in that sample size. He posted a 4.7 bWAR, 23 homers, 49 RBIs, and a .993 OPS while making the All-Star team. The Astros dumped a perennial MVP contender for tax flexibility so they need to replace that production internally.
In the literal sense, Chas McCormick is likely to replace Kyle Tucker in right field. That is a significant offensive decline after McCormick had a brutal season in 2024. If he can hit 25 homers, that would be a massive development for Houston. His career high is 22 in 2023. But Christian Walker is the guy to watch in their lineup to replace Tucker.
Walker has won three consecutive Gold Gloves and posted three straight seasons with an OPS+ over 120. That production earned him a $20 million annual payday from the Astros after a great run with the Diamondbacks. The offense will be carried by Walker, Jose Altuve, and Yordan Alvarez, which could be enough to replace Tucker.
But the long-term outlook of the Astros got worse by trading the 28-year-old Tucker. Their championship window is closing and not paying Tucker closes it a little more.
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