Jameson Taillon followed the Cubs’ offseason pursuit of Kyle Tucker like most.

“I follow probably honestly like a fan,” the Cubs starting pitcher said on the Cubs Weekly Podcast. “I just look at the rumors and stuff.”

Around the Winter Meetings in December, Kyle Tucker was rumored to be on the trading block — and despite having three starting outfielders already — the Cubs were in the mix.

When the trade became official and Tucker was headed to the North Side, Taillon was excited.

“Just adding a premier talent to the heart of the lineup,” Taillon said. “Good defender. I feel like he fits our team in our lineup really well.”

There aren’t many lineups Kyle Tucker wouldn’t fit well, but Taillon — who has given up 4 hits and a home run in 10 at-bats to Tucker — has first-hand experience as to what makes ‘King Tuck’ so good.

“He covers a lot of areas really well. I have given up a homer to him on, like, a hard slider in,” Taillon said. “I’ve given up hard hits on fastballs down and away. There’s just not really a safe area which makes it really hard as a pitcher to game plan against and, obviously, just like when you’re that level of talent, he can just change the game.”

[Watch the full interview with Taillon on the Marquee Sports Network app]

Before signing with the Cubs, Taillon spent two seasons with the Yankees. He compared Tucker’s elite play to his former teammates Gerrit Cole and Aaron Judge.

“I’ve played with like an Aaron Judge or like on the pitching side like a Gerrit Cole,” Taillon said, “A guy like Gerrit Cole goes out and throws and it’s not like he’s out there throwing a thousand balls. It’s like he knows exactly what he wants to feel and when he feels that he’s like, ‘OK, that’s what I want to do accomplish today. I’m good.’”

“I think Kyle Tucker’s like a little bit of the same. [He knows] what makes [him] really good.”

The Cubs hope Tucker is that elite bat they’ve been missing the last two season, both of which resulted in 83 wins and no postseason baseball.

“A thing that separates the elite players is they hit good pitching really well,” Taillon said. “And Kyle Tucker handles good pitching.”