The Chicago Cubs seem to be, still, a work in progress, although all but one position (third base) is locked down for the coming season.
One area that certainly appeared to be resolved after some earlier drama was designated hitter, where Japanese star Seiya Suzuki had been assigned, seemingly against his will.
The right-handed hitter, who was, arguably, the team’s best bat in 2024, got booted from his right field starting spot when Cody Bellinger was moved into the position last season. Then, he got booted again after the acquisition of Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros. The plan is to make the 30-year-old Suzuki the Cubs’ full-time DH, making room for a defensively superior outfield consisting of Gold Glove winner Tucker in right field, future Gold Glover Pete Crow-Armstrong in center, and three-time Gold Glove-winning Ian Happ in left.
Suzuki DH Drama Squashed?
The last anyone heard, manager Craig Counsell had snuffed the drama and Suzuki was now fully onboard with his new role.
“Seiya’s gonna DH a lot,” Counsell said during a panel discussion at the Cubs Convention. “That’s what’s gonna happen. Kyle’s gonna play right field, Pete [Crow-Armstrong]’s gonna play center and Ian [Happ]’s gonna play a lot of left field. We feel like we have another outfielder in Seiya if something happens to one of those guys.
“But we’ve talked to Seiya this week about that and he understands that and he’s on board with that. And things happen during a season. If it doesn’t happen, it’s been a really good season and if Ian and Kyle are healthy all year and Seiya’s healthy all year, man, that’s a good offense, I can promise you.”
“He understands; he’s on board,” Counsell added. “He wants to play the field but he understands that right now, this is where the team kinda sits.”
But could the Cubs see some further disharmony brewing and explore trading Suzuki, as they were reportedly doing earlier in the offseason?
A Chicago Cubs-Boston Red Sox Suzuki Trade Proposal
Jackson Roberts of SI.com believes that Suzuki could still be had, specifically by the Boston Red Sox, for the price of two Boston top 10 prospects.
In the proposed trade, the Cubs would deal Suzuki in return for OF Miguel Bleis (The Red Sox No. 6 prospect) and RHP Richard Fitts (The Red Sox No. 10 prospect).
For Boston, the deal satisfies their biggest current need– a high-end right-handed bat with some pop.
For the Cubs, the proposed trade would add two key pieces to their future puzzle.
Bleis is only 20, but he’s a multi-tool asset who was once considered an untouchable in the Red Sox system. A down year last season has hurt his value, but there’s still a ton of upside to him. Bleis could be another insurance piece if/when the Cubs lose Kyle Tucker to free agency after this season.
The 25-year-old Fitts, meanwhile, dazzled in his four games started with the big league Red Sox last season and would be an immediate candidate for the fifth starter slot in Chicago.
Dealing Seiya
Suzuki, the former Hiroshima Toyo Carp all-star in the Japanese league has two seasons left on his Cubs contract before being eligible for free agency. Last season, he posted a .283 batting average and hit a career-high 21 home runs. Over his three-year career with the Cubs, he’s been one of the team’s most consistent bats, registering a .278 batting average with 55 home runs and 193 RBIs.
This isn’t the first time a proposed deal between the Cubs and Red Sox has been tossed about by media. From the Boston side of things, bringing Suzuki aboard seems like a logical fit. For Chicago, trading Suzuki at this point, seems pretty unlikely.
