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The Astros trade Kyle Tucker to the Cubs
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Photo credit: © Erik Williams - USA Today
Ryley Delaney
Dec 13, 2024, 15:30 ESTUpdated: Dec 13, 2024, 15:23 EST
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An American League team has made a move.
On Friday afternoon, the Houston Astros traded outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Isaac Paredes, Hayden Wesneski, and prospect Cam Smith.
Tucker is in a similar boat to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., as this coming season is the final of his team control. The 27-year-old had a terrific season with the Houston Astros last season, slashing .289/.408/.585 with 23 home runs in 339 plate appearances for a 180 wRC+ and a 4.2 fWAR.
For his career, Tucker is slashing .274/.353/.516 with 125 home runs in 2,561 plate appearances with a 139 wRC+ and a 21.1 fWAR. He’s had two 5 fWAR seasons, one in 2021 where he slashed .294/.359/.557 with 30 home runs in 567 plate appearances for 146 wRC+. The other one came in 2023, where he slashed .284/.369/.517 with 29 home runs in 674 plate appearances for a 140 wRC+.
Paredes is the big name going back for the Astros. The pull-heavy 25-year-old slashed .238/.346/.393 with 19 home runs between the Cubs and the Tampa Bay Rays last season. His career-best season was in 2023, where he slashed .250/.352/.488 with 31 home runs in 571 plate appearances for a 136 wRC+ and a 4.3 fWAR.
For the third baseman’s career, he’s slashing .232/.333/.422 with 72 home runs in 1,786 plate appearances, with a 117 wRC+ and a 9.7 fWAR. However, the right-handed batter will do well with the Crawford Boxes in left field as the Astros’ home stadium.
As for the prospects, Cam Smith ranked as the Cubs’ seventh-best prospect with an estimated time of arrival to the big leagues in 2026. The third baseman was the Cubs’ 14th overall selection in 2024 and features a 55-hit tool and a 60-arm. In 2024, Smith slashed .313/.396/.609 with seven home runs in 134 plate appearances.
Last season, Werenski pitched 67.2 innings with the Cubs, posting a 3.86 ERA and a 4.51 FIP, with a 23.7 K% and a 7.4 BB%. The 27-year-old sits in the mid-90s with his heater and doesn’t become a free agent until after the 2028 season.
All in all, it was a solid return for a soon-to-be free agent in Kyle Tucker, but the Astros lost the better player in this deal.
As always, you can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.

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