The MLB Winter Meetings brought about a series of moves this offseason, and one of the prominent names to change teams was All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker. The three-time All-Star was traded by the Chicago Cubs from the Houston Astros on Friday.
Following his trade to Chicago, the Cubs shared a graphic with ‘King Tuck’ on Instagram. Tucker’s wife Samantha shared the post in her story with a message for her followers.
“Excited for this new journey,” Samantha captioned her story.
Kyle Tucker and Samantha have reportedly known each other since 2015 when they attended Plant High School. They started dating in 2017 and announced their engagement via an Instagram post in 2022.
The duo exchanged vows in January this year and they shared pictures from their special day on Instagram.
Kyle Tucker was picked fifth overall by the Houston Astros in 2015 and the outfielder made his MLB debut for the team in 2018. The three-time All-Star was a pivotal part of the 2022 World Series team and followed that season with another productive year, finishing as the player with the most RBI during the 2023 regular season, earning him a Silver Slugger award.
The Astros shared a heartfelt post on parting ways with the fan favorite.
“Thank you for everything, King Tuck. Best of luck in Chicago.”
Samantha shared the post in her story and reacted with blue and white hearts, representing the Astros colors.
Samantha also shared heartfelt messages from several Astros fans, acknowledging Kyle Tucker’s impact and journey with the Astros, in her Instagram story.
Tucker’s trade didn’t come cheap for the Cubs as they exchanged third baseman Isaac Paredes, pitcher Hayden Wesneski and prospect Cam Smith for the All-Star outfielder.
Trading the one-time World Series winner highlights Chicago’s aspirations as a franchise as it has been on the edge of qualifying for the Wild Card series for two consecutive seasons but failing to postseason on both occasions.
With Tucker’s addition, the Cubs would be hoping to make the postseason for the first time since 2020, when they were eliminated from the Wild Card series by the Miami Marlins.
