Tucker, who is undoubtedly one of the better players in baseball, has only gone up in price over the past few months. After Juan Soto took his deal, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. got $500 million, and other decisions around Major League Baseball, there's no debating that Tucker had a smile on his face after all these deals.

Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer maintained his stance on keeping contract negotiations out of the public sphere. But on Tuesday he acknowledged the obvious: “At some point” the Cubs will talk with three-time All-Star Kyle Tucker’s agent Casey Close about a possible extension.

The Cubs didn't seem likely to hang onto Kyle Tucker after trading for him. But they are positioned to pay him $50 million per season if they consider him essential.