With a quiet offseason since acquiring Kyle Tucker, Cubs fans needed some good news. That didn’t happen last week, when the team couldn’t reach a salary agreement on with Tucker ahead of the arbitration deadline. Heading to an arbitration trial isn’t the end of the world, but it certainly isn’t the look you want after acquiring a superstar. The Cubs filed at $15 million with Tucker asking for $17.5 million. That small difference looks a little bigger when you’re operating on a reduced budget, as it seems Jed Hoyer is this winter.
Cubs Convention starts Friday and Tucker is the biggest current player on the list, so Cubs made sure to finalize a deal to avoid any added negativity.