*** Official 2025 Chicago Cubs Thread***
- Thread starter Cyforce
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Going to be interesting to see how the Tucker contract turns out over the years. The good thing for him is not only is he going to a loaded team that he doesn't need to carry but they also have no lack of leaders on that team either so he can kind of just hang in the shadows of those guys. With the Cubs he was counted on to be THE star last year which brought on some extra media attention and scrutiny he probably won't get as much of now. Then again for what they paid for him if he doesn't live up to that contract the LA media probably won't be too kind either.
I see Bichette is headed to the Mets on a 3 year $126 mil deal with opt outs. That's not too bad of a deal, $42 mil for at least the 2026 season then he possibly opts out and tests the market again. Dominos are starting to fall now for the big names in free agency.
I see Bichette is headed to the Mets on a 3 year $126 mil deal with opt outs. That's not too bad of a deal, $42 mil for at least the 2026 season then he possibly opts out and tests the market again. Dominos are starting to fall now for the big names in free agency.
Will be interesting to see what happens with the CBA fight next winter (and into summer). Feels like the Dodgers kind of said eff it, let's blow it out one last time before everyone comes for us.
A lot of owners would probably like to see some kind of salary cap but the player's union will never agree to that as that is bad for them. I could see them maybe making the luxury tax even more expensive especially the upper levels of it. I hear baseball outsiders say things like "well other teams can do the same thing and spend more." That's not exactly true, a team like Kansas City and other smaller market teams will never come close to being able to afford the payrolls that LA and the NY teams can because they don't come even close to generating the level of revenue to be able to spend and still make a profit.
The Dodgers spending spree is probably going to make for a really messy CBA negotiation as what they are doing is good for the players union but the a lot of the owners probably would like to find some ways to make it tougher and steeper penalties to keep teams from spending like that. This is why the NFL is a better product these days with their salary parameters. It creates a more competitive balance in the league and makes it tougher for teams to just go out and load up teams like baseball does. The NBA has a cap too but there are ways to get around that and manipulate it too in order to stack a roster with multiple stars.
It'll almost certainly end up with a salary floor and then significantly more punitive luxury tax penalties rather than a "cap"
I agree with all of this.
While it's true other teams could and should spend more, they all can't do what the Dodgers are doing.
Also, while what the Dodgers is doing is good for the players union, it's not necessarily good for the average player. The 1% are able to get these massive contracts but that doesn't help the other 99.
Brett over at Bleacher Nation has talked about the landscape with all of the media rights coming up in the next couple years, and how the owners/Manfred might not put up a big fight for the cap like we expect/hope. Who knows if the Tucker signing shifts things, but a stoppage or and extended stoppage wouldn't be good for those negotiations.
The owners would also have to open their books for a cap/floor to happen and I don't think they want to do that as it would expose how little money the players are actually getting compared to other leagues.
Baseball players actually have it pretty good, in that their contracts are fully guaranteed. NFL guys sign huge contracts, but only a fraction is guaranteed, so if they get hurt, they're SOL.
Also a lot of verbiage on if/when they are rostered at certain dates on how much is guaranteed too I think. If a player is cut only the guaranteed portion is owed to them while if you cut a MLB or NBA player it's 100% guaranteed still unless they work out a mutual buyout that reduces the amount owed.
There were lots of scouts who believed Shaws future was in the OF coming out of college, so there absolutely is a world he moves to a corner after the 26 season.
That being said, I think if I’m a betting man, he is moved before that can happen
That being said, I think if I’m a betting man, he is moved before that can happen
Lots of speculation he has Anthony Rendon syndrome. Has the gift of being an elite baseball player but views it more as a job than a passion.
I think the shorter term deal is going to keep him motivated for a couple years until he opts out but I'd be super leery of signing him to the big deal after this one. Somebody is going to give him 7 or 8 years in 2028 and the end of that deal is going to be atrocious.
Ironically, it'll probably be the Angels.
He is not an elite bat. What is your definition of elite? Top 10 players in MLB? He also strikes out more than he walks, 368 BB and 490 strikeouts. He only struck out less than he walked only in one season when he played 72 games due to injury
I realize you are arguing the "he walks more than he strikes out" statement and you are correct, but almost everyone strikes out more than they walk. Of players who played in 2025, only 9 batters with over 2000 career AB had career walks >= 70% of career strikeouts, including Tucker at around 73%. The only ones with more walks than Ks are Juan Soto and Luis Arraez. The last player to retire with more career walks than strikeouts (with over 2000 career AB) was Todd Helton in 2013.
Source for first statement:
Player Batting Season & Career Stats Finder - Baseball | Stathead
Find single seasons, combined seasons data for players with most home runs in single season, combined seasons, career and more. Get all of this data on Stathead and create your own leaderboard.
www.sports-reference.com
Source for second statement:
Player Batting Season & Career Stats Finder - Baseball | Stathead
Find single seasons, combined seasons data for players with most home runs in single season, combined seasons, career and more. Get all of this data on Stathead and create your own leaderboard.
www.sports-reference.com
He strikes less than the league average so what? He has career on base percentage of .358 which is good but not elite. He is a good player but $60 million per year good?
2025 regular season stats (MLB rank):
BA: .266 (47th)
HR: 22 (65th)
RBI: 73 (77th)
HR%: 3.7% (61st)
BB%: 14.6% (8th)
SO%: 14.7% (28th)
Hard hit%: 40.4% (106th)
I know some will say he had a down year, but this is only slightly below his career average
