One of the most intriguing and sought-after free agents is now off the board.
The Chicago Cubs have signed Japanese star Seiya Suzuki to a five-year, $85 million deal, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
The Cubs went big to win the Suzuki sweepstakes, sending their front office and Chairman Tom Ricketts to meet with the star slugger.
Suzuki was one of the biggest free agents prior to the lockout thanks to his stellar resume in Japan, where he carved out an incredible career in the NPB.
Over a nine-season span, the outfielder put together a .309 batting average, a .402 on-base percentage and a .541 slugging percentage. Furthermore, he hit 189 career home runs and amassed 621 RBIs and over 1,000 hits.
It is no secret that a lot of players who come over from Japan see a decrease in production, but MLB ZiPS projections have Suzuki complying a slash line of .287/.351/.480 in 2022, while hitting 23 homers and driving in 85 runs.
Those numbers would put Suzuki in the elite production category in MLB, and he certainly arrives in America with a very high ceiling.
It is an intriguing move for the Cubs who are clearly in a rebuild, so Suzuki is a player they can build around if he does indeed replicate his success from back home.
Again, there will be clear question marks over the 27-year-old’s ability to hit in America given that he has never faced Major League batters before, but Suzuki has the type of potential that makes the risk worth it.
He could also be used as a DH if needed and the prospect of Suzuki hitting bombs out of Wrigley is certainly a mouthwatering thought for Cubs fans.
After what has been a busy few days in MLB, we now have the answer as to where Suzuki would take his considerable talents, and we will now see if he can indeed bring some pop to that Chicago lineup.
Luckily for the Mets, they only have two series against the Cubs in 2022 if Suzuki does indeed proceed to rake and hit absolute bombs.
