Michael Tucker Left Field Chicago Cubs Profile
	2001 SEASON STATISTICS GM HR RBI R SB AVG 86 7 30 31 12 .242

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs acquired outfielder Michael Tucker from the Cincinnati Reds on Friday in exchange for minor league right-handers Chris Booker and Ben Shaffar.

Tucker is the second outfielder traded by the Reds in two days. They sent Alex Ochoa to the Colorado Rockies on Thursday for second baseman Todd Walker and a minor leaguer.

Tucker, who saw plenty of playing time for the Reds while Ken Griffey Jr. was injured this season, hit .242 with seven home runs and 30 RBI with 12 steals in 86 games.

A streaky hitter, he has 15 multihit games this year but is currently in an 0-for-16 slump.

The 30-year-old Tucker had career highs of 15 homers and 13 stolen bases last year, while hitting .267.

He will join the Cubs in Houston for Saturday's game against the Astros.

Tucker, making $1.8 million this year, agreed to a two-year contract extension in January. But the deal allows him to void the extension and become a free agent after the season if he's traded.

Ochoa's deal also saved money in the short term. He makes $1.6 million this year and $2.75 million in 2002, while Walker agreed to a three-year contract in January that includes salaries of $1 million this year, $2 million next year and $3.4 million in 2003.

On June 30, the Reds traded reliever Mark Wohlers and his $500,000 salary to the New York Yankees.

ESPN.com analysis

Did the Cubs really need another left-handed-hitting outfielder with modest talents when they've already got Roosevelt Brown? Granted, Brown hasn't hit much this season, but then he's only been given 56 at-bats. But in 857 Triple-A bats since 1999, Brown has posted a .388 on-base percentage and a .594 slugging percentage. Over those same three seasons, Tucker's figures are .349 and .443 ... and even those numbers are inflated, because Tucker is rarely asked to face left-handed pitching. Yet another example of a team mortgaging the future simply in order to add a Proven Veteran, when the young talent at hand could do the same job. --Rob Neyer

Tucker has played in the majors since 1995, compiling a .260 average with 76 homers, 282 RBI and 68 stolen bases with Kansas City, Atlanta and Cincinnati.

His three-run homer in the eighth inning off Kevin Brown gave Atlanta a 7-6 victory over the San Diego Padres in Game 5 of the 1998 NL championship series.

The 24-year-old Booker was 2-6 with a 4.33 ERA in 45 relief appearances for Double-A West Tenn. Shaffar, 23, was 6-4 with a 3.12 ERA in 19 starts for Class-A Daytona.

Booker was taken by the Cubs in the 20th round of the 1995 draft. Shaffar was a sixth-round selection in 1999.