Yankees refusal to trade Luis Gil for Kyle Tucker saved them from an unexpected error

There was a brief moment in time where it looked like the New York Yankees were going to replace a departing Juan Soto with the next best thing, engaging in trade talks with the Houston Astros for Kyle Tucker before eventually losing out to the Chicago Cubs in December of 2024.

Fate is a funny thing, because that shortcoming led to the Cubs looking to dump Cody Bellinger's salary right into the Yankees' willing arms. New York enjoyed the experience of having Bellinger roam the outfield so much that, given the choice between the pair this past winter, they opted to re-sign Bellinger and never became more than peripheral players inTucker's market.

That's not the only reason why losing out on the Tucker trade was a blessing in disguise; part of the rumored package discussed for the former Astros outfielder's services included Luis Gil, Ben Rice, and George Lombard Jr.

According to some reports, the deal died because the Yankees reportedly balked at the idea of trading Gil, citing his 2024 AL Rookie of the Year campaign plus the significant team control he carried. Today, Yankees fans would trade Gil for a ham sandwich, but they should still be grateful the deal fell apart, if Jack Curry's report is true and not cover for wanting to retain the other two.

The Yankees would be filled with regret if they had given up Ben Rice in a Kyle Tucker trade

As funny as it is now to think that Gil was the sticking point, it was equally funny then to believe Rice had a ton of value. At the time, he was coming off the 50-game big league stint where he hit .171/.264/.349 as a 25-year-old rookie.

After 2025 came to a close, the deal would've seemed more equal, with Rice making some subtle adjustments to put together an All-Star caliber year. He finished with an .836 OPS versus an .841 mark for Tucker. Gil's value took a tumble, but Lombard Jr. raised his profile a bit to make it a deal that probably would've favored the Astros slightly more than the Yankees.

Today, though, we'd look back on this deal as a travesty. Through April 28, Rice is hitting .309/.432/.713 with 10 home runs. His 205 wRC+ is second only to Yordan Alvarez in all of baseball. He's on an MVP path, and at this point, there doesn't seem to be anything that he can't do.

Tucker, meanwhile, is scuffling out in Los Angeles. The Dodgers awarded him with the massive $60 million AAV (before deferrals), but have watched him hit just .239/.326/.363 with three dingers. That's after having some injury woes and slashing .231/.360/.378 during the second half of 2025.

Theoretically, had the deal gone down, the Yankees never would have gotten Bellinger, who has been another plus for the team. They likely would've given Tucker a massive contract to validate the trade, especially after Soto made himself a one-year wonder. And they would have watched as the firepower they thought Tucker was bringing blossomed in Houston while they were saddled with a bad investment.

This isn't to say that Tucker can't turn his season around. Rice also very probably won't finish 2026 with a 1.145 OPS. With that said, as Tucker closes in on his 30th birthday, it's looking like his rather lengthy injury history might be sapping some of his skills, while Rice is proving to be better than anyone thought he ever could be.

The irony is that, depending on the source, the Yankees killed the deal not because of some incredible foresight, but rather a lack thereof. They believed Gil would become a huge star. They couldn't have been more wrong, but at the same time, they were very right. The lesson here? Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.

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