It’s Monday morning, which means one thing in the baseball world: it’s Seiya Suzuki Posting Day!
As was reported on Sunday, the Hiroshima Carp are expected to post their 27-year-old star outfielder, making him available for all 30 MLB clubs to make a bid. Teams will have until 5p ET on December 22nd to submit a bid, and potentially longer if a lockout takes place.
Suzuki will bring a mix of solid defense and top-of-the-line offense to the states as a right fielder, with his skill set putting him toward the top of the free-agent outfield market this winter. Just how good is he at the plate? Suzuki has slugged at least 25 home runs each season since 2016, with a career-high 38 in 2021. The right-handed hitter has also posted an OPS of at least 1.000 three times in the last four years. His cumulative OPS since 2019 is 1.016, and MMO’s Mathew Brownstein put in perspective with regard to how impressive that is:
Seiya Suzuki has a 1.016 OPS since 2019.
This obviously isn't a perfect comparison (and in no way am I suggesting that the talent level is the same), but in that same period, only one qualified major league hitter has posted an OPS over 1.000:
Juan Soto.
— Mathew Brownstein (@MBrownstein89) November 21, 2021
Here’s a glimpse of the power many MLB teams will want to insert into their respective lineups next season:
Here’s Seiya Suzuki, the superstar outfielder that will be posted.
The 27-year-old hit .319/.436/.640 with 38 home runs and more walks (88) than strikeouts (87) in 2021.
He led the NPB league at 8.4 WAR.
— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) November 5, 2021
According to a report from MLB.com’s Jon Morosi, Suzuki has been compared to Ronald Acuña Jr., which is good company to be in.
MMO’s Michael Mayer noted on Twitter over the weekend that the New York Mets have indeed scouted him, and they should absolutely be interested in making a serious run for his services. With Michael Conforto likely heading elsewhere in free agency since he’s already been dubbed the King of Queens by agent Scott Boras, New York needs legitimate outfield help. Suzuki would go a long way in helping shore up that area of the roster.
As you can imagine, plenty of MLB teams could use an outfielder who can hit and field like Suzuki, so he’ll be a popular commodity upon officially becoming available. For an early look at his market, we can look at a few places. First, there’s the following tweet from Kyle Newman:
With Seiya Suzuki being posted, Japanese reporter Nachi Tomonari has reported that 7 teams are interested:
Mets
Rangers
Phillies
Braves
Pirates
Mariners
RockiesThe report also states that the Braves and the Rangers are the most serious suitors. pic.twitter.com/lY0ZR1ygJd
— Kyle Newman (@NewmanNYsports) November 18, 2021
Five out of seven teams listed above make sense, and if we want to play the “which two teams don’t belong here” game, it’d obviously be the Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies because the price tag could get high. Although, like I just said, everyone could use an outfielder like this, so who knows, right?
The Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers being among the most seriously interested makes sense, along with the Seattle Mariners, which Mayer noted on Twitter. President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi also mentioned to The Athletic that the San Francisco Giants would be throwing their hat into the ring. R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports noted over the weekend that the intersection of teams that make the most sense for Suzuki with those who have the ability to sign him includes the Giants, Mariners, and Rangers.
This will be a fascinating process, made even more fascinating by MLB’s looming labor issues. The Mets have an interest in him — as they should — but the’lly have plenty of company. We’ll soon find out how serious their interest in Suzuki actually is.