Phillies

Bryce Harper Praises Upcoming Free Agent Kyle Tucker

By Luke Arcaini

Published: Apr 29th, 2025 · 1:40 PM EDT

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Bryce Harper has done a ton of recruiting since he signed his 13-year, $330 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies back in March of 2019.

He’s pushed for the team to re-sign J.T. Realmuto, he put his good word in for Trea Turner while he was a Dodger heading towards free agency, and while they haven’t signed here, he’s spoken highly about multiple other players ahead of their free agency, including Shohei Ohtani during his time with the Angels. 

Patrick Mooney of The Athletic wrote a story this past weekend in which Harper talked about the Cubs previously being at the top of his free agency list. Harper went on to say that he doesn’t regret anything, and his time in Philadelphia has been everything he could’ve ever imagined so far. 

But that wasn’t the most interesting part of that story. Bryce Harper commented on Kyle Tucker, who was linked to the Phillies multiple times this offseason, and was later traded to the Cubs from the Houston Astros in a big haul:

He’s one of my favorites in the league. He’s a big-moment player, a red-light kind of player. It’s a lot of fun to watch the way he does it. He’s very impressive. It’s kind of weird to see a superstar player like that get traded from a really good team to another really good team. Great for Cubs fans. Great for the team. He’s got a really good opportunity next year to make some pretty good coin.

It’s been a scorching hot start to Kyle Tucker’s contract year in Chicago, a slash line of .289/.397/.579 with a .976 OPS. He’s crushed seven homers, is tied for 3rd in the National League with 25 RBIs, and has already stolen eight bases. 

The Phillies were hesitant to give up Aidan Miller or Andrew Painter this past offseason, while the Astros were looking for major league-ready corner infielders and pitchers. There was a rumor back in the winter that Alec Bohm and Ranger Suarez could’ve been in the package, along with one or two of the top Phillies prospects, but that never got too far. 

If the Phillies want to get Kyle Tucker now, they won’t need to send anything but a ton of money to Tucker himself. 

Tucker is predicted to make around $500 million this offseason, and rightfully so. He’s a 28-year-old slugger who already is already a 3-time all star, silver slugger, gold glover, and World Series Champion. He has a career 140 OPS+ and has hit 132 home runs before his 29th birthday. 

JT Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber, and Ranger Suarez will all be free agents following this season, which will open up a good chunk of money. The Phillies are interested in bringing Schwarber back, but no real progress has been made there just yet, according to reports.

Nick Castellanos is under contract for just one more year following 2025. Max Kepler is only on a one-year deal, and the Phillies don’t have their center fielder of the future in the majors right now. They hope it’s Justin Crawford when his time is here. 

There are going to be holes in the Phillies outfield over the next few years. Tucker would fit about as good as anyone, and it seems Harper might be starting his free-agent pitch to the superstar slugger already.