The Philadelphia Phillies are one of the best teams in the MLB, and they are expected to add a superstar in the offseason.
MLB insider Jim Bowden of The Athletic predicts the Phillies will sign Kyle Tucker to a massive 14-year, $604 million deal in free agency.
“After a strong season with the Cubs, Kyle Tucker signs a 14-year, $604 million contract with the Phillies in free agency. The deal includes significant deferrals,” Bowden wrote.
Tucker is one of the best players in baseball and could be the top free agent available if he does reach the open market. As Bowden predicts, if Tucker hits the open market, he will be in line for a massive deal.
Tucker is set to make $16.5 million with the Chicago Cubs. The star outfielder was traded to the Cubs from the Houston Astros in the offseason but is only under contract for this season.
Tucker is a three-time All-Star and was a key part of the Astros’ winning the World Series in 2022. The outfielder was a Silver Slugger Award winner in 2023 and a Gold Glove Award winner in 2022.
Phillies GM Confident in Group
Philadelphia enters the 2025 MLB season as one of the top teams in the league.
The Phillies have been unable to get over the hump. But Philadelphia general manager Dave Dombrowski believes the team is good enough to win the World Series this year.
“Really, I think our club has been good enough the last couple of years to win a world championship,” Dombrowski said to Forbes. “Sometimes, you just have to play better at the right time. In ‘23, we all of a sudden quit hitting for a couple of games. I felt before that we were going to play in the World Series. Then last year, we didn’t play well.
“You’re always looking to get better. We want to be better. But sometimes it comes down to playing well at the right time,” Dombrowski added. “So sometimes you might want to change a person or two (on the roster). But the reality is we feel we have a championship-caliber team.”
The Phillies have the fourth-best odds to win the World Series entering the 2025 MLB season. Philadelphia, however, is not favored to win their division as oddsmakers have the Atlanta Braves favored to win the NL East.
Tucker Open to Long-Term Deal With Cubs
Tucker was traded to the Cubs in the offseason as he’s one year away from free agency/.
The star outfielder said after being traded that he was open to a long-term deal with the Cubs.
“Definitely Chicago’s, you know, great city to play in. Great city just in general,” Tucker said. “So I’m open for anything.”
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, meanwhile, felt the risk was worth it as he knows how good Tucker is.
“We have a lot of really good players on the team. We’re very balanced,” Hoyer said. “But it did feel like we lacked, that kind of, consolidation of (wins above replacement), I would say, on our roster in one player. And obviously Tucker is just one of the best players in baseball, period.”
Tucker hit .289 with 23 home runs and 49 RBIs in 78 games with the Astros in 2024.
Insider Predicts Phillies Sign Superstar Slugger to $604 Million Deal in Free Agency