Cubs newbie Tucker conveys convention wisdom

CHICAGO -- Kyle Tucker waved to the fans who packed the main ballroom at the Sheraton Grand Chicago on Friday night and could not contain a smile as the crowd serenaded him on his birthday. Standing nearby on stage, Cubs manager Craig Counsell looked amused and clapped along.

Talk about a warm welcome to Tucker’s new town.

“Being able to be in the city and be in front of the fans and in front of the hometown crowd is pretty special,” said Tucker, who turned 28 on Friday, “especially being able to do it before the season and kind of hype up the season and get everyone ready for what we can do out on the field.”

The Cubs made Tucker their marquee addition of the offseason last month in a blockbuster trade with the Astros, adding one of baseball’s elite bats to the heart of the order. The North Siders have also added to the rotation (Matthew Boyd), brought in a new catcher (Carson Kelly) and have added multiple arms to the bullpen mix.

And while the fan response to a new baby blue alternate jersey was positive -- plenty were already being worn by those in attendance for Cubs Con’s opening night -- and the reaction to the reunion between the club and Sammy Sosa was rowdy, ultimately, what matters most is a return trip to the postseason.

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Tucker might be the new guy in town, but he is planning to play in October.

“Our team should have high expectations,” he said. “We’re a phenomenal organization with some really good players. So our goal going into the year -- we should expect to make the playoffs and make a run at the World Series. I don’t think you should go into a season not expecting that.

“That’s my goal, and I know it’s a lot of guys’ goals. It starts now.”

The Cubs have not made the playoffs since the abbreviated 2020 season and have not won a playoff game since 2017. Chicago moved out of a mini-rebuild with an 83-win showing in 2023 and then repeated that win total last year after bringing Counsell aboard as the new manager. Needless to say, that makes the coming campaign an important one.

Counsell issued a reminder on Friday night that, while Cubs Con had arrived, the offseason is hardly over. Chicago’s front office is still looking to fortify the bullpen and bench, though president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said the rotation depth chart might be set (barring an “opportunistic” change in the landscape).

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What Hoyer said he is not doing is making any decisions with his own contract situation in mind.

“This is about the fans, this is about Chicago, it’s about the Cubs,” said Hoyer, who is signed only through the ’25 season. “These things are so much bigger than me. I’m not going to make decisions that impact a city or a fan base based on my self-interest. To me, it’s about running the organization as best I can.

“And I think we’re in a window that we have a chance to be really good for a while. And I think the organization’s in a great position. I’m proud of that.”

The roster has a strong mix of veterans like Dansby Swanson, Jameson Taillon, Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner and Tucker. Shota Imanaga was an instant sensation last year, while players like Justin Steele and Seiya Suzuki are forging solid careers. Younger players like Pete Crow-Armstrong and Michael Busch made an impact in ’24, while Matt Shaw and a slew of Top 100 prospects are knocking on the door

It looks like the kind of roster that should be able to contend for the National League Central crown, though the same was said in the previous two years. The Cubs are hoping that the addition of a star like Tucker can be a catalyst in getting the ballclub back onto the October stage.

“I don't need to spend a lot of time up here to tell you guys how good of a player he is,” Swanson said. “He’s obviously a premier player in our league. Has been for quite some time. … I think there’s a lot of excitement in just what we can become and how we can kind of figure out how to fit things together to be as successful as we want to be.”