New Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown acknowledged the team had discussions with All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker about a contract extension.
"Some of the stuff was started prior to me coming. We had some talks with Tucker, of course, because it's coming up on the arbitration hearing," Brown told Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. "And (Cristian) Javier, he's also coming up on the arb hearing. … We've been in contact with some of the agents to get some thought process."
Tucker, who's arbitration-eligible for the first time in his career, reportedly asked for $7.5 million in 2023, while the Astros countered with $5 million. He's under team control through 2025.
The 26-year-old has become one of the best outfielders in baseball over the last few years. Only Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, and Mookie Betts accrued a higher fWAR than Tucker since 2020.
Tucker has gone deep 30 times in back-to-back seasons en route to finishing with down-ballot MVP votes. He also stole 25 bases and won his first Gold Glove in 2022 during Houston's World Series-winning campaign.
