The Rundown: Lester to Cubs HOF, Tucker’s Monster Deal Sets AAV Record, Cubs Sign Yet Another Tread Pitcher

Did any big news break last night? Oh yeah, we learned that Jon Lester will be the next inductee into the Cubs Hall of Fame. CI was first to report that Lester was getting a blue jacket, then, in a tweet that has since been deleted, Bob Nightengale had the scoop that Rizzo would be going in as well. That ended up being incorrect because Rizzo hasn’t been retired long enough, but Nightengale later tweeted that Jody Davis was expected to join Lester. If that’s correct, both Big Red and BDJ will receive plaques at Wrigley this summer.

Rizzo still got a chance to shine, however, as he welcomed his 2016 teammates to a lavish celebration thrown by the Cubs Thursday night. Unlike Cubs Convention, this party included players who are still actively employed by other clubs. Kyle Schwarber and Javier Béez were among the attendees, along with a shirtless Travis Wood.

I wonder if the Cubs will try to get a Bryzzo HOF pairing once Kris Bryant steps away from the game. Maybe they will look to include other 2016 alums. We know Kyle Hendricks will be inducted once he meets the criteria, and it’s possible that Jake Arrieta could join him as well. No need to worry about any of that right now.

It’s pretty cool that Lester is being honored shortly after the Cubs just signed another former Red Sox player whose greatest asset may be his attitude. Alex Bregman, who changed to number 3 because he wants a third title, has a chance to cement his legacy alongside Rizzo, Lester, and others by leading the Cubs to the promised land again. It’s not going to be easy, especially with what’s happening out west, but Bregman made it very clear during his introductory press conference that his priority is winning baseball games.

We’ll hear plenty more about Bregman and the newest Cubs Hall of Famers at CubsCon this weekend.

Tucker Sets Record

The Mets knew they had Kyle Tucker locked up. Following an offer of four years and $220 million with no deferrals, owner Steve Cohen tweeted, “Let me know when you see smoke.” Former Met Jose Reyes followed that up with, “Something big coming.” As it turns out, the only smoke came from the Mets’ plans backfiring in their faces.

Tucker ended up signing a four-year, $240 million deal with the Dodgers that includes a $64 million signing bonus, $30 million in deferred money, and opt-outs after years two and three. Its net present value of $57.1 million annually eclipses the previous record of $51 million set by Juan Soto. On paper, Tucker is second to Shohei Ohtani‘s $70 million a year ($46M in NPV). The obvious difference is that Tucker gets six years and $460 million less than Ohtani and $525 million less over 11 fewer seasons than Soto.

Because they are multiple offenders at the highest level of CBT penalties, the Dodgers will end up paying something in the neighborhood of $120 million per season for Tucker’s services. They have also lost their second, third, fifth, and sixth highest draft picks this summer, along with $1 million in international bonus pool money. I would say that development doesn’t matter when you can just pay for dudes, but LA has long been known as an organization that does both.

Not to mention that Tucker may end up being a Dodger for less than two full seasons. That possibility obviously factored into the club’s willingness to make an enormous splash, same for the Mets, and it fits perfectly with the growing concerns about Tucker’s competitive fire. No one has questioned his top-tier talent, but many have wondered whether teams would be willing to offer a long-term deal for fear of it aging poorly.

That could still be the case for the Dodgers if Tucker ends up “having” to ride out all four years, but loading all the risk into a deal that will end after his age-32 season at the latest should indemnify them against the worst possible outcome. The Blue Jays were the only team willing to push well past the four-year mark, and might have even gone to 10, but the opportunity to grab at least $120 million for two years before hitting the market again at age 31 was too good to pass up.

While some feel the glitz and glam of Hollywood seems an incongruous fit for the borderline milqetoast outfielder, being able to play third or fourth fiddle on a star-studded roster should be right up his alley. A lot of Cubs fans have expressed their disappointment in Tucker’s lone season on the North Side, understandably so, and I’ve started to wonder whether some of his issues came from the pressure of carrying greater expectations.

Even if the added mental weight can’t cause fractured shins and hands or strained calves, feeling the need to play through injuries may have exacerbated them. Anyone who’s ever tried to work under heavy psychological strain knows what it’s like to feel physically tired for seemingly no reason. It strikes me that Tucker leaving the team to seek treatment from his own physical therapist just as the Cubs were about to clinch a postseason berth may have been as much about what was happening between his ears as in his lower leg.

Now that he’s freed from the need to be a team’s superstar, I think this deal will end up working out well for both the Dodgers and Tucker. LA is the obvious favorite to win their third straight title, and Tucker could polish up his reputation a bit in hopes of landing yet another huge contract in 2-3 years.

More News and Notes

• Because the Cubs extended Tucker a qualifying offer, they will receive a pick after Competitive Balance Round B. As things currently stand, that would be the 77th or 78th pick.
• The Reds, Angels, and Rays worked out a three-team deal that sees outfielder Josh Lowe going from Tampa to Anaheim, with utilityman Gavin Lux going from Cincy to Tampa and righty pitching prospect Chris Clark heading from SoCal to the Queen City.
• Nightengale believes the Phillies are the prohibitive favorite to sign Bo Bichette, which probably means he’s going back to the Blue Jays. After missing out on Tucker, Toronto certainly has money to spend.
• There’s been some more buzz about the Red Sox trading from their rotation depth. The Cubs could match up nicely if the Red Sox are interested in Matt Shaw.
• Former Cubs great Willi Castro signed a two-year, $12.8 million deal with the Rockies.
• The Cubs have signed 30-year-old lefty Charlie Barnes following his Tread pro day bullpen. Originally picked by the Twins in the fourth round of the 2017 draft out of Clemson, Barnes made his MLB debut in 2021. He then spent four seasons with the KBO’s Lotte Giants before spending some time at Triple-A with the Reds. He also recently pitched in the Dominican Winter League. More to come on this. This is presumably a minor league deal since the 40-man is full, but Tread’s announcement noted that Barnes received an invite to spring training.

Trailer Time

I’m not sure The Rip is good, per se, but I think it’ll be a lot of fun. The tentative plan is to watch it tonight after CubsCon’s opening festivities, in which case I’ll report back on my findings. As much as I enjoy the theatrical experience, having a big-budget movie released straight to streaming is a nice treat.

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