Cubs Predicted to Replace Kyle Tucker with 23-Year-Old Slugger
All eyes will be on Kyle Tucker this winter, not only in the Chicago area, but across Major League Baseball.
Tucker hasn't always been perfect in his one year with the Chicago Cubs, but he's still an elite performer with good season statistics on the whole. If the Cubs aren't willing to go upwards of $400 million, possibly even $500 million, they'll stand little chance of re-signing him in free agency.
Even if the Cubs are feeling generous with their wallets this offseason, they've got to have a succession plan in place if Tucker leaves. The 28-year-old never chose Chicago in the first place, having been traded there from the Houston Astros, so he may well choose to depart when given the chance.
In that vein, Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter predicted that Tucker would leave for a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday. And to replace the four-time All-Star in the opening day lineup, Reuter predicted that the Cubs would call upon top prospect Owen Caissie.
"The Cubs are going to make an honest effort to re-sign Kyle Tucker this winter, but they might not want to commit to him for $40 million annually over a long-term deal when they have highly-regarded young outfielders Owen Caissie and Kevin Alcántara knocking on the door for a regular role," wrote Reuter. "That money could then be spent on a frontline arm for the starting rotation."
There's no such thing as a ready-made replacement for a star like Tucker, but Caissie is the closest possible alternative. He's mashed at every level of the minors, got his feet wet with 16 games in the big leagues in August, and at age 23, still has plenty of developing to do as he matures.
In 71 games for Triple-A Iowa this season, Caissie has slashed .278/.375/.472, clubbing 22 home runs, but striking out 115 times.
If he can cut down on his chase and whiff rates, Caissie might prove to be an adequate replacement for Tucker over time. That doesn't mean Cubs fans won't miss the All-Star, but Chicago would have a chance to salvage the situation by properly allocating its savings.
Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson Gets Stern Warning After Packers Loss
Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson is getting warned after his season opener against the Green Bay Packers.
The Detroit Lions had a very difficult start to their 2025-26 season, and hopefully it’s not a sign of things to come. While those in the Motor City were hoping that the Lions would pick up where they left off last season, that didn’t quite happen, and instead, the team fell in a big loss to the Green Bay Packers, with a final tally of 27-13.
It wasn’t a good look, but hopefully the team got the wake-up call that it needed and will forge ahead with some wins. While there was a lot of finger-pointing after the game by spectators, the players gave it their all, but something was just off. It was easy to feel the absence of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn during that game.
Following the game, one of the Lions’ biggest stars, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, is getting some harsh words thrown at him about his debut. Hutchinson, of course, is coming back from a season-ending injury last season, so people were excited to see him back on the field. But, even he had a difficult start to the season, which is uncharacteristic for him.
Detroit Lions Star Aidan Hutchinson Gets Put on Notice
Hutchinson is raising some eyebrows following the Packers loss. He’s an elite player and one of the best in his position in the NFL, so hopefully he doesn’t get too discouraged by the talk, but it’s worth pointing out.
In a piece published on Monday, September 8, Chris Schad of Detroit Jock City calls Hutchinson out on his season debut. He basically said that Hutchinson did himself “zero favors” in that game and also didn’t help his case to land a blockbuster contract with Holmes and the Lions.
“Hutchinson didn’t show up often in the game against the Packers, finishing without a tackle or a sack in Sunday’s loss,” Schad noted. “His presence didn’t free up things for his teammates, either, as Jordan Love was sacked just once.”
Schad added, “Hutchinson also was embroiled in a controversy when he knocked over Love on a personal foul call, which resulted in Packers lineman Zach Tom getting injured as he tried to avoid his quarterback on the ground.”
Packers’ Micah Parsons Did a Number on the Detroit Lions
What made it worse was the dichotomy of the Packers having defensive end Micah Parsons on the team, which they obtained through a trade with the Dallas Cowboys.
“While Hutchinson wasn’t showing Brad Holmes to throw the bag at him as soon as possible, his cause was made worse by the debut of Micah Parsons,” Schad adds. “The star edge rusher played just 30 snaps in the win over the Lions but he was noticed immediately, swimming past All-Pro tackle Penei Sewell in his first snap as a Packer.” Later, Parsons also “picked up a sack in addition to the pressure he created all afternoon,” making that contract with the Packers worth it right away.
It was not a good look for Hutchinson. But, hopefully this was just an anomaly and that a better game is on the way.
Meanwhile, former Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford had a great game to start his season. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that “Matthew Stafford set an NFL record Sunday for most career opening-day starts for a quarterback with 17.” He adds that, “Until this year, Stafford had started his team’s season opener in all 16 seasons, which tied him with John Elway for the longest streak to being a quarterback’s career. Now it’s his record.”
