With the regular season just around the corner, the Chicago Cubs are still trying to bolster their roster for 2022.
Free agency has only been open since Thursday evening and since then the Cubs have been able to land SS Andrelton Simmons to a one-year, $4 million contract. Now, the Cubs will reportedly set their sights on the Japanese league star, Seiya Suzuki.
MLB insider Paul Heyman had the report on Friday night:
https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status/150245740200376320
As Heyman noted, Suzuki is drawing interest from several teams are the league.
Suzuki is a 26-year old outfielder who has been playing professionally in Japan since 2013 and is looking to make the move to MLB. He’s considered a power bat and someone that could contribute to the Cubs lineup this year.
In his 2021 campaign, Suzuki amassed 38 homers while maintaining an impressive .317 batting average. Suzuki’s international numbers are quite eye-popping. For his career, his batting average sits at .309. It’s also clear that his power-hitting ability has grown in recent years.
Suzuki can also help to strengthen the Cubs’ depth in the outfield. With Jason Heyward’s 8-year contract ending after the 2023 season, Suzuki can even be an option for taking over right field down the line if he continues to perform.
It is expected that Suzuki’s numbers will drop off once he begins facing MLB competition. How much it will drop off has yet to be seen. Suzuki’s high contact and power ability can prove to compliment Cubs’ contact hitters, Nico Hoerner and Nick Madrigal. I expect these two to be near the top in runs scored for the Cubs this season.
This free agency period has been off to a relatively slow start since resuming on Thursday. It will be interesting to see how this period unfolds for the Cubs. For now, fans wait anxiously and hope that the front office will pull out the checkbook to land some more key pieces.
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