Chicago Cubs president defends risky trade before 2025 season amid scrutiny

Following the season opener on March 18, Chicago Cubs president Jed Hoyer is in the final regular season of his contract with the organization. Hoyer has been with the Cubs since 2012, gifting the fan base a World Series Champion in 2016.

The Cubs have won one playoff series since the World Series. More importantly, they’ve missed the playoffs four years in a row.

Fans are becoming frustrated with Hoyer, and a player Hoyer traded for this offseason, who is set to become a free agent at the same time he does, might be pivotal to the future of the 51-year-old GM.

A controversial trade by the Chicago Cubs

The Cubs traded third baseman Cam Smith and two other prospects to the Houston Astros for three-time All-Star Kyle Tucker. Tucker will help boost the Cubs bats, but fans are concerned that Tucker won’t do enough to improve Chicago’s chances for a World Series title to justify a one-year loan. (As we saw last week, Tucker didn’t push the Cubs past the Los Angeles Dodgers.)

To add to the drama, the Astros gave Smith a spot on the opening day roster after a strong spring. Many MLB fans thought Hoyer was “fleeced” in the offseason trade for Tucker.

Jed Hoyer defends the trade for Kyle Tucker

In an interview with Jon Greenberg of The Athletic, Hoyer defended his decision to trade for Tucker, arguing that they had to give up a talented player like Smith to get him.

“Our guys did a great job with Cam Smith,” Hoyer said. Obviously, we liked him in the draft. He played great for us last year. He’s a really good young player. You’re not going to acquire a guy like Tucker — I don’t know where you rank him among hitters in baseball — without giving up real talent.

“When I look at our team, what we’ve lacked on the field for the last couple of years has been sort of like we’ve been talking about: Where do we find that kind of impact player? And he does everything. He plays defense, runs the bases, great offensive player.”

Hoyer wouldn’t get into how negotiations were going with Tucker. He said Tucker’s price would be “hefty” and that Chicago would like to keep a player of his caliber around for a “long time.”

The trade was not out of desperation

Hoyer claims that he didn’t trade for Tucker out of desperation to try and earn a contract extension. He thinks it’s the best move for the Cubs.

“Everything is based on the organization and organizational decisions, and this is my 14th season with the Cubs,” Hoyer said. “I’ve been here for a long time. Nothing’s about me. It’s about the organization. I think that whether it’s a big trade (or) a big contract, these are all organizational decisions.

“I try over and over to emphasize that because I do think that ultimately we’re employees, we’re stewards of the organization. That’s how you have to think about it. It’s not about me.”

Regardless of the reason or justification for the trade, Hoyer will be judged based on the results of adding Tucker this season. And if Smith continues to develop, that could factor in as well.

Still, the Cubs have a better chance of winning the NL Central with Tucker on the team. That should make the 2025 team more exciting to watch.

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