Another Astros-Phillies trade for Kyle Tucker with Houston’s leverage all but gone

The Philadelphia Phillies have been linked to Houston Astros star outfielder Kyle Tucker since rumors began circulating that Tucker might be available.

But at the time, the Astros had all the means. Tucker will be under team control next season and the Astros are reportedly working on an extension with their star outfielder. But Chandler Rome of The Athletic seems to think that Houston is running out of time to sign this extension.

“…the time to sign Tucker to an Astros-centric extension is long gone…His representatives at Excel Sports Management will demand the kind of contract Crane has long been reluctant to grant, beginning a saga that has played out in the past six seasons. George Springer, Gerrit Cole, Carlos Correa and Dallas Keuchel have all experienced it elsewhere.

The idea that the Astros could lose Tucker to free agency, let alone an extension, could tempt Houston to deal him this year when he values ​​you the most. But they lose their influence when this idea comes out.

Brad Wakai of Inside the Astros agrees.

“The time for this franchise to find a solution with Tucker is long overdue, as his representative is going to advise him to get a deal for what he’s worth.”

And who was the team that was connected to Tucker every step of the way?

The Philadelphia Phillies.

I proposed a trade that would send Phillies prospects SS Aidan Miller, SS Bryan Rincon and RHP Christian McGowan to Houston for the aforementioned Kyle Tucker.

But with the recent news that Houston could be handcuffed to trade Tucker or lose him to free agency, the Phillies may not have to give up as much to acquire him. At the very least, it would make the proposed deal in early June much more attractive to the Astros front office.

If the Phillies could get their hands on Tucker, they would fill the biggest hole on their roster with the best player available on the market. The rich would get richer and that would push the Phillies in the direction they would like to go.

It would also kick off an Astros rebuild that no one saw coming before the season started. What a difference a few months can make in the world of baseball.