Kyle Tucker, Seiya Suzuki Lead the Cubs Into the Home Opener

When the Chicago Cubs traded for Kyle Tucker back in December, they traded for a superstar.

Tucker may have been underrated or underappreciated while he was with the Houston Astros, considering the teammates he’s had. But considering his 145 wRC+ between 2021 and 2024, he was the kind of heart-of-the-order bat it felt like they needed the last two years.

The cost wasn’t cheap. They traded 2024 first-round pick Cam Smith, 2024 All-Star Isaac Paredes and young right-hander Hayden Wesneski (who’s had his flashes of being an effective big league pitcher). That trio had a combined 13 years of club control remaining. Tucker can become a free agent next winter.

But the Cubs have high objectives in 2025. A postseason appearance feels like a necessity. Adding Tucker provides a big boost to getting there.

A rough showing in spring and a 1-for-8 performance in Tokyo, while Smith raked in the Grapefruit League and made Houston’s Opening Day roster, had some fans nervous. Once the Cubs resumed play last week, though, it didn’t take long for him to get rolling.

Tucker hit his first home run as a Cub on Saturday in Arizona. Then he launched another one the next game. And then another the day after. And then one more the day after that.

That four-game homer streak was the longest of his career, and it highlighted a fantastic first full week with the Cubs. In his first nine games, he posted a 229 wRC+. He slashed .324/.444/.784. He drove in 10 runs and recorded a 13.3 percent strikeout rate and a 17.8 percent walk rate. His 0.9 Wins Above Replacement (FanGraphs) currently lead the majors.

All in all, this is as strong of a start as the Cubs could’ve hoped for. Tucker looks like that star bat who can put an offense on his back for stretches.

Fortunately, he hasn’t had to do that yet. Entering Friday, the offense as a whole has put up 15 more runs than any other team (though they have also played the most games). It sits in the top 10 among the 30 big league teams in the biggest offensive metrics.

But right there with Tucker among the Cubs’ regulars the past few games has been Seiya Suzuki.

Suzuki went hitless in his return to Japan and had gone 2-for-21 through the team’s first five contests. He also struck out 11 times. Though that’s about as small of a sample as they come, it clearly wasn’t a great start to the season.

But he quickly turned that narrative around. Over the last four games, Suzuki raised his slash line on the year to .275/.333/.625/162 wRC+. He homered four times, including twice in Wednesday’s series finale against the Athletics, and drove in 11 runs. The strikeout rate is still high (37.8 percent, 11th percentile), but overall, his numbers have quickly gone up to high level.

Against right-handed starters, Tucker has hit in the No. 2 spot in the order. Against lefties, that’s been where Suzuki has slotted in. Regardless of who’s hitting No. 2 and 3 on any given day, with how good they can both be at the plate, that’s a 1-2 punch in the heart of the order that can lead an entire offense.

That’s not to say the duo hasn’t received any help. Carson Kelly (270 wRC+) and Miguel Amaya (123+) have been very productive as the Cubs’ catching tandem. Nico Hoerner (121 wRC+), Michael Busch (114 wRC+) and Dansby Swanson (112 wRC+) are other regulars with strong offensive performances thus far.

That all played into the offense humming for most of the first full week of the regular season. But as the Cubs showed last May and June, that won’t always be the case.

Heck, Tucker and Suzuki likely won’t always be hot at the same time, either. There might even be some points where both are in a rough patch. And of course, these performances have come very early in the season.

But Tucker is the guy the Cubs traded a nice package to acquire and should be willing to pay a big price to keep beyond 2025. Suzuki is the guy they invested nearly $100 million in (including the posting fee) to bring over from Japan.

As long as they can both stay on the field and avoid extended slumps at the plate, that could be a pairing opposing pitchers really have to game plan hard for.

“They can carry a lineup by themselves,” Jameson Taillon told reporters in Sacramento on Wednesday, “and then you have everyone else doing their job and working counts and getting on base. It’s going to be tough for pitchers.”