Did Kyle Tucker's price just go up?

The Cubs thumped the Texas Rangers last night, giving them eight wins in their first 13 games. They are playing well, and while the fact that they and the Dodgers both have played at least two more games than everybody else is still messing up the counting stats, one stat near and dear to Boog's heart is reflecting very well on the Cubs start to the season.

Despite being pantsed twice in Tokyo by the Dodgers by a combined score of 10-4, as we stand here on April 8, the Cubs have the best run differential in baseball at +28. Yes, even better than the mighty Dodgers who are a paltry +20.

The team closest the Cubs are Yankees at +27. Yes, that's in three fewer games, but most of it is fueled by about eight Nestor Cortes pitches in one start back in the second game of the season.

The rest of the NL Central is a mess. The Brewers are in second place at -22. Only the Reds have a positive run differential at a whopping +3.

Pythagoras thinks the Cubs should have the most wins in baseball at 9-4. In reality their eight wins are second most just behind the Padres, who they should have swept last weekend.

The Cubs needed to avoid a terrible start. So far they haven't just done that, they're off to a legitimately good one.

When the Blue Jays and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. failed to come to an agreement on a contract extension before spring training, Vlad said that he wasn't interested in negotiating during the season and that he'd probably just wait until he was officially a free agent this coming offseason before he negotiated again with Toronto. They would have to renew their bidding with other teams as direct competitiors.

So what did Vlad do yesterday? He signed a contract extension with the Jays, during the season. Funny how 14 years and $500 million will change somebody's mind.

How much Guerrero's new found largesse (he's always had one, though) affects Cubs' right fielder Kyle Tucker's market isn't as clear as you'd think. Guerrero is two years younger than Kyle, the Jays were really motivated by an inability to lure big name free agents (Shohei, Juan Soto, Carson Kelly, guys of that ilk) and they really wanted to keep Vlad. Guererro's a really good player. He was nearly the AL MVP in 2021, he hit .323 last year, his career OPS+ is 137.

Tucker was nearly the AL MVP in 2023, he's a four-time All-Star and his career OPS+ is 141.

Both guys have won a Gold Glove. Vlad's a really good comp for Kyle, actually.

And if you think the Garbage Family That Owns The Cubs™ are rattled by how Vlad's new deal will impact their chances of keeping Tucker, who currently leads the NL in runs, hits, homers, RBI, OPS and total bases, (Is that good? That seems good) well, that just means you think the Garbage Family has any desire to keep him at all.

Tucker was asked before last night's game how he thinks Guerrero's new deal will affect what he's going to get, and he just kind of shrugged. It's the same reaction that Jim Deshaies gives Alex "Thumbo" Cohen about five times a game when he's forced to work with him.

Jed Hoyer barely seems able to fake enthusiasm for his bosses' desire to keep the best player they've had since Kris Bryant tumbled over the bag in Cincinnati six years ago. He kind of hides behind the fact that most players in their walk years don't want to talk about new deals.

Yeah, sure. Just like Vlad wasn't going to do it.

I saw where one of the Bleacher Naggragation guys was galaxy braining about how the uncertainty about Tucker's future might make Hoyer unable to deal either Kevin Alcanatara or Owen Caissie to improve the team at the trade deadline. Because if Tucker is staying at least one of them is effectively blocked, but if he's a goner they might need both of them.

I guess that's a thing. I'd like to think that left field is going to wide assed open after next season, so one of them can go play there. The other one is Owen Caissie and I wouldn't let the near certainty that Tucker is going to leave after this season keep me from trading the Albino Rhino for something, anything, useful.

Will Tucker get 14 years and $500 million? Probably not. But he's going to get a lot for a long time. That's just how this works. Tucker is right to just shrug his shoulders when asked if Vlad's big deal is going to get him more money. He's going to get a lot anyway.

Remember back in 2018 when Bryce Harper wanted to play for the Cubs and they didn't even offer him a contract? He was a 26 year old who had already won an MVP. Tom Ricketts nearly fainted when he found out the Phillies gave him a 13-year, $330 million deal. Oh, my god, NOBODY will ever top that!

For no apparent reason, I'll just list some guys.

Shohei Ohtani
Juan Soto
Zack Wheeler
Aaron Judge
Alex Bregman
Jacob deGrom
Blake Snell
Gerrit Cole
Mike Trout
Anthony Rendon
Corbin Burnes
Francisco Lindor
Carlos Correa
Corey Seager
Nolan Arenado
Manny Machado
Rafael Devers
Mookie Betts
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Tyler Glasnow
Trea Turner
Max Fried
Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Carlos Rondon
Freddie Freeman
Pete Alonso
Christian Yelich
Cody Bellinger
Bobby Witt Jr.
Kris Bryant
Willie Adames
Xander Bogaerts

That was fun. What was the point of that? Well, those 32 players all make more money per season than Bryce Harper does now. The guy right behind him on the list makes $90,000 less than Bryce per year.

It's Dansby Swanson. Oh, for fuck's sake.

By the way, Vlad Jr. on that list? That's his current deal. Not the huge one that starts next season. He was ALREADY making more money than Bryce.

There are a lot of guys on that that list that you'd rather not be paying that much money. Sure.

But not all free agents are built the same. Harper was a stud, already great, and in the very early stages of his prime.

Tucker is also a stud, still young enough to have lots of prime left.

The Cubs made the mistake after 2015 of paying Jason Heyward like he was a star when he was to that point just a well-rounded above average player. He had slugged just .431 in his career, and had a 114 OPS+.

Heyward was coming off of a 7 WAR season with the Cardinals, and Theo was so confident that his offense was coming around (in his previous two full seasons, Heyward had averaged 12 homers and 59 RBI) that when he put the player option in the deal after the third season, he assumed that Heyward would go out to sign a big deal somewhere else for 2018 and the Cubs would be ready to bring in Harper.

Ahh, the best laid plans of mice, and men in gorilla suits.

The simple fact is that whether they want to admit it or not, the Cubs are a high revenue team in dire need of getting and keeping a superstar to build around.

They went out and did the getting. Now it's the time for the keeping.

I won't hold my breath.

With Vidal Brujan beginning a rehab assignment for his totally-real-not-at-all-made-up-for-roster-construction-reasons bruised elbow, it's beyond time for the Cubs to make a trade with the Tigers so they send Tater Workman to AAA so he can fulfill his destiny of tearing up the International League. Given that his at bats so far this year have mostly all ended with him walking back to the dugout while still holding his bat, what would you have to send to the Tigers that's of equal value?

Well, the great Chase Strumpf has struck out five times in his first seven at bats at Iowa this year. So that seems about right.

But whatever you do, don't let the Tigers include a player to be named later in the deal. They'll just send Strumpf back. They Tigers have pulled that kind of shit on us before.

Just ask Dickie Noles.