Cubs rising star makes feelings known on losing Cody Bellinger to Yankees and Kyle Tucker acquisition from Astros
The Chicago Cubs have been the most busy with trades this offseason. They traded their long-term contract holder, Cody Bellinger, to the New York Yankees after long speculations of him leaving the ballclub and acquired Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros.
Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong appeared on the Bernstein & Harris Show podcast for an in-call interview on Friday. He was questioned about the Cubs trading for someone like Kyle Tucker and his potential impact on the lineup.
The 22-year-old, who made his full season debut with the team last year, pointed out losing Cody Bellinger from the outfield and hoped that Tucker is able to fill his shoes well.
"Yeah, well, Big Move, I've never met Kyle. It's hard to ever cross paths with outfielders during the year just because you don't actually pass them by on the field that much. But watching from afar and watching on TV, I mean, the guy is a special, special baseball player. I mean, losing Cody is what it is, and I wasn't happy to lose Cody because he's a great person for our clubhouse, an unbelievable person just to spend time with.
"But what I have heard and what I've seen about Mr. Tucker is only good, and I think he's going to add a lot to our situation too. You know, being able to hold down right field every day, he just adds so much to our situation. I think that I'm just really looking forward to finding out what that looks like in person," Crow-Armstrong said. [6:25]
Kyle Tucker and Cubs almost went to arbitration hearing
Kyle Tucker had lit up the first two months of the regular season for the Astros in 2024. Despite an injury that kept him out for a long spell, the right fielder ended with 23 home runs in 78 games for Houston. Based on the numbers, his personal team had filed for $17.5 million in arbitration for 2025. But the Cubs weren't willing to pay more than $15 million.
After long negotiations, both parties were able to settle at $16.5 million for the upcoming season, avoiding an arbitration hearing. It was a little surprising on the behalf of Chicago to almost force an arbitration hearing on a star player they recently acquired for a $2.5 million difference, especially after considering that Cody Bellinger's trade had freed up more than $25 million from their payroll.