👋 Good morning!

So, are we going to ignore the Greek Freak-sized elephant in the room?

It’s very possible that Giannis Antetokounmpo has played his last game for the Milwaukee Bucks.

And it doesn’t take much of an effort to connect some dots from Antetokounmpo’s past, expressing an appreciation for Chicago.

Can the Bulls actually swing a massive blockbuster for the NBA champion? I’d love to give a resounding yes, but what does that return look like for Milwaukee?

Assuming we see a bidding war for his services this offseason, I have a hard time imagining that the Bulls have the resources to compete. I suppose time will tell.

– Patrick Norton

“Whatever It Costs”

Is this legitimate cause for renewed hope or just another report linking the possibility of a long-term extension between slugger Kyle Tucker and the Cubs?

• David Kaplan, on his Cubs REKAP podcast: “I’m hearing that the Cubs have wrapped their brain around—doesn’t mean he’ll accept it—wrapped their brain around ‘whatever it costs, we’re paying it’ and they want to keep Tucker.”
   

• Tucker has started all 30 games for the Cubs this season and sports a .288/.397/.568 slash line with seven home runs and 25 RBI. Heading into Tuesday night, Tucker ranked sixth in all of baseball in WAR this season (1.5). Cubs CF Pete Crow-Armstrong ranks fourth (1.9).
   

• Tucker is slated to become an unrestricted free agent after this season. He signed a one-year deal worth $16.5 million to avoid arbitration in the offseason after being traded to the Cubs in December.

It’s been a rough few days for the “Extend Kyle Tucker” crowd.

First, GM Jed Hoyer, as expected, offered little insight on negotiations during his regular appearance on WSCR last week:

“As far as long-term stuff, obviously, we would love to keep Kyle long-term. I mean, who wouldn't want a player like that?”

Hoyer added, “I would keep any conversations we are having internal. I think it's hard to negotiate in season. I'm not sure what's going to happen with that.”

Then, ahead of the Cubs-Phillies series at Wrigley Field last weekend, The Athletic released an interview with Bryce Harper, where the superstar had this to say about the Cubs: “Going into that offseason [ahead of the 2019 season], they were the No. 1 team on my list.”

Brutal. Harper’s been nothing short of excellent in Philadelphia. But I think for the most part, Cubs fans have moved on from that miss.

Instead, the focus is solely on making sure it doesn't happen again with Tucker. And Kaplan’s intel is the first genuinely positive news on the extension front in a few weeks, though the caveat that Tucker himself has to be interested cannot be ignored.

It should still be music to the ears of every Cubs fan. Tom Ricketts has dealt with his fair share of criticism for a lack of major-market spending, and plenty of it is justified. But going all-in for Tucker immediately changes that perception of the Cubs’ chairman.

As for what that contract could look like, it’ll be a bank-breaker, and if the Cubs are the ones to dish it out, it’ll crush the previous record for the largest contract given out by the club: Jason Heyward’s eight-year/$184 million deal in 2015. Think something around 10-years/$490 million.

So be it. Tucker is a blank-check ballplayer on pace for the Cubs’ first 30+ home run season since Kyle Schwarber and Kris Bryant both passed the mark in 2019.

Quick Hits

Cramped Style: After exiting Tuesday’s win against the Pirates with an apparent lower-body injury, Shota Imanaga is expected to be okay. The early diagnosis? Muscle cramps. In my experience, water, bananas, and potato chips, and the Cubs’ ace will be back on the bump in no time.

Tuesday night’s 9-0 win was also the first time a Cubs lineup has completed a game without striking out since July 3, 2013.

Square One: White Sox No. 4 prospect Colson Montgomery is headed to the team’s facility in Arizona to rework his swing for a couple of weeks.

Montgomery has struggled mightily, slashing .149/.223/.255 with three homers and six RBI in 23 games for Triple-A Charlotte.

On Tuesday, GM Chris Getz said, “Players oftentimes, they wait until the offseason to make some of these adjustments. We figured, why wait? Let’s attack this, and we look forward to seeing what we can do.”

Fancy seeing you here…

Today!

📺 CHGO Bears
12:00 on YouTube

📺 CHGO Blackhawks
2:00 on YouTube

📺 CHGO Bulls
4:00 on YouTube

⚾️ Cubs @ Pirates
5:40 on Marquee

⚾️ White Sox vs. Brewers
6:40 on CHSN

📺 CHGO Cubs
POSTGAME on CHGO Cubs YT

Talk to you tomorrow!