The Cubs continue to show that their current retooling efforts won’t at all resemble the aggressive teardown of a decade ago, announcing on Friday that they’ve signed star NPB outfielder Seiya Suzuki to a five-year contract. Suzuki, a Wasserman client, will reportedly be guaranteed a hearty $85MM on the contract.
Under the NPB/MLB posting system, that means the Cubs will also owe Suzuki’s former team, the Hiroshima Carp, a posting fee of $14.625MM. That brings the total investment in Suzuki to $99.625MM — although only Suzuki’s actual contract (more specifically, its $17MM annual value) will count against the luxury tax. Suzuki will reportedly receive a $5MM signing bonus and be paid annual salaries of $7MM, $17MM, $20MM, $18MM and $18MM on the deal, which contains a full no-trade clause.
Suzuki hit .317/.433/.639 with 38 home runs in 533 plate appearances for the Hiroshima Carp this year. He’s been one of the best hitters in NPB dating back to 2016, with a career line of .309/.402/.541. He’s hit at least 25 home runs in each of the last six seasons and is a five-time NPB All-Star.
According to MLBTR’s Steve Adams, “The most bullish opinions we’ve gotten peg Suzuki as an everyday Major League right fielder — a solid defensive player with a strong arm and enough power to hit in the middle of a big league lineup.” In August, Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times spoke to a Major League scout who compared Suzuki to AJ Pollock, back when Pollock was playing for the Diamondbacks.
Though Suzuki has nine seasons under his belt, he’s still just 27 years old, which is rare for a posted player out of Japan. Suzuki explained to Hernandez, “I think everyone feels they want to play at the highest stage if they can get the chance.” Suzuki was only one year short of international free agency, so the Carp were motivated to be compensated for his departure.
In late November, the Carp posted Suzuki for MLB teams, beginning a 30-day window that was interrupted by the sport’s 99-day lockout. Suzuki was left with 20 days post-lockout to negotiate a deal with an MLB team. On top of his contract, the Cubs will owe the Carp a posting fee equal to 20% of the contract’s first $25MM, 17.5% of the next $25MM and 15% of any dollars thereafter. Only Suzuki’s $17MM average annual value will count toward the competitive balance tax, but the Cubs are a good $78MM short of the $230MM base tax threshold including Suzuki.
Suzuki is a strong-armed prototypical right fielder and a five-time NPB Gold Glove winner. The Cubs still have Jason Heyward under contract for another two years and $44MM, but given Heyward’s struggles at the plate, there’s a good chance Suzuki is taking over his position. Suzuki may spend most of his five-year tenure playing alongside center fielder Brennen Davis, Baseball America’s 16th-ranked prospect.
The news of the Suzuki signing comes on the heels of Anthony Rizzo’s two-year, $32MM deal with the Yankees. It’s a fitting contrast and representation of the Cubs’ reboot, as Suzuki is five years younger than Rizzo and the Cubs reportedly once offered Rizzo the same contract before trading him and other stalwarts in July last year. Cubs fans will be watching many former stars in different uniforms this year, with Javy Baez having signed in Detroit, the Phillies reaching an agreement with Kyle Schwarber, and Kris Bryant signing with the Rockies. The Cubs’ other big splash came before the lockout, the signing of starting pitcher Marcus Stroman to a three-year, $71MM deal.
Interest was widespread in Suzuki. The Padres, Red Sox, Rangers, Giants, Mariners, Yankees, Blue Jays, Marlins, and Dodgers are among the other teams that were linked to the slugging right fielder.
Pitcher Masahiro Tanaka holds the record for a Japanese player signing in MLB, having landed a seven-year, $155MM deal with the Yankees in January 2014. On the position player side, Suzuki eclipses the four-year, $48MM deal outfielder Kosuke Fukudome signed with the Cubs in December 2007. The only position players to have sustained success in MLB out of Japan have been Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui, and of course, pitcher/designated hitter Shohei Ohtani.
Sankei Sports first reported the agreement. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the terms and the no-trade clause, while MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand provided the annual breakdown.
Nice!
As always, we await developments.
Great value signing the one I coveted. LOL
Actually I take back my “nice.” That’s a massive overpay, now that the details are in. No wonder he picked them. $17m a year for such a huge question mark is pretty risky.
Its a large market team. Its not like a couple of million either way matters. This isnt like buying a car where we need to get the best deal. The Cubs have tons of money. The terms almost dont matter.
An extra 15 million spread out over 5 years makes it go from a great signing to a massive overpay?
cbcbcgb
We can’t believe it either, comrade.
What makes Suzuki a huge question mark?
it’s actually 5 for $70m — the additional $15m goes to his Japanese club, not to him.
Suzuki’s contract is worth $85MM over five years, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, who also notes the inclusion of a full no-trade clause. That makes for a $14.625MM posting fee, bringing the Cubs’ total expenditure to $99.625MM.
Reading is hard.
Hasn’t played in the MLB yet. That’s always a question mark.
What makes him a huge ? ? He is already 27 and never played in MLB. Best case scenario he is an everyday player with some power and adequate defense in RF. He could be a 4th outfielder and worse doesn’t adjust to MLB on a 5 year commitment. They have already been grossly overpaying Heyward.
Haha @Padres
^12 year old
No I’m a padre fan. Little comic relief, that’s all.
And your name is one bite hog dog lmao.
Talk bout the pot callin the kettle black.
10
Sour Grapes Hot Dog……Dude with the Padres supposedly involved with any player who can walk and breath, what other reaction did you expect.
Seriously, no surprise Preller was leaking that Suzuki had agreed to sign with SD prior to him departing for his visit with the Cubbies…Sorry AJ, your past sins have caught up to you.
Preller ain’t got no past sins
Not with hair like that.
His eyebrows are an 80
Preller doesn’t have any past sins? You mean other than his suspension and borderline sleazy activity?
Really though, what the hell was that? Yahoo had an article up for all of about 10 seconds saying the deal was done with the Padres (though not finalized).
I suspect the same “Scherzer” bait and switch play media psychout on the Pads fans will occur today with FF or Bryant, followed by news that Manny announces early retirement and Darvish and Musgrove will need TJS
There’s always question marks when a player comes over from Japan, but watching Suzuki, I don’t think he’ll have a hard time in the majors. He looks legit. Cubs jumped a rebuild. Perhaps too quickly, but they look good on paper.
Exactly why he would have looked good in red pinstripes.
What a gross thing to say. Why do people feel the need to say that there are question marks with players from Japan? That is so cringy. There are question marks from ANY player from ANYWHERE when coming over to MLB.
Is this supposed to be a joke? You answer your own question in your comment and as the post points out, only two position players have had sustained success…
Because it’s cool to call things racist that are in fact not racist.
which is a better percentage of players that succeed compared to someone who grew up in America
its super cringe, I don’t get it either, by percentage Asian born players are much more successful than Americans making it in MLB.
This seems like a really hard thing to calculate… there are gazillions of American born ballplayers and very few Asian born, mostly becasue they do not see the power pitching that you find in the MLB. I do take issue that only two players have found sustained success: Ichiro, Ohtani and my personal fav Shin Soo Choo!
Do you mean asian players that try to come over, or just asian players in general? You might want to check how big the population of Asia is…
Man, why do we always need to take it there VPH is a solid poster and in no way said anything offside. All you’re doing is looking for an issue and watering down the definition of racism.
Some Japanese players play in a different league, different balls, many differences. It’s perfectly fine to question transition to the MLB as a question mark, especially when it has a 70 mil price tag.
How is this any different than a poster questioning an American born players transition from AAA to the majors as a question mark.
This comment is so stupid and woke that my head almost exploded. You do realize that China is an Asian country, they have over 1 BILLION people, which is 3 times the amount of the US. That doesn’t even count the nations of Japan, Korea, Vietnam, etc. So no, there is no percentage that shows Asian born players being more successful than Americans making it in MLB. Get a grip with the virtue-signaling nonsense.
the hell there isn’t, how many asian born players are in the MLB minor leagues or MLB rosters compared american born??? why do people always say it’s risky to sign and asian player when in fact it’s less risky than signing an american player.
this comment is ridiculously stupid, there have been 64 japanese players that have tried to play MLB baseball, how many have succeeded? how many american players have tried playing MLB and how many have succeeded? what percentage of success is better? it’s japanese born players by a wide margin.
Oh the irony. Are you really this ignorant in real life?
Of course this is true. The MLB is highly selective and only bothers to bring over the top 1% of Asian born players. That doesn’t mean that the MLB could bring over 10,000 Japanese ballplayers and that proportion would hold.
Drafted players can not be compared to international free agents.
The price tag and expectations are drastically different. This has NOTHING to do with culture or nationality, it’s just realities of spending major league money for any player and the expectations on immediate contributions that come with it. Stop always looking for problems, it’s an annoying way to live
I agree, people just suck in general
Oh, I called his comment racist did I? LOL. I think NPB is an excellent league. His success there from OBP, OPS, K/SO and defense are all outstanding. I don’t get why people point out the fact that he is from NPB as if that is an indicator of anything other than the fact that he played there. Anyone from anywhere can translate poorly to MLB. No one said it was racist. Dummy.
Talk about a dopey comment. I love how these people on the right (obviously, no wait, tell me your “independent”, Lol) see me say its cringy and immediately jump to a conclusion that I am calling this guy racist. Talk about snowflakes. You all want it to be “woke” BS when it isn’t, so heads are so fragile they explode over even what you perceive to be woke. Holy crap this is hilarious.
I agree that VPH is solid and I have never heard anything even remotely racist from him. This is silly.
dray16….your comment is completely devoid of context. Only a very small % of players in Asian leagues even attempt to transition to MLB. And risk is not measured only in whether or not a player makes it, but the money expended for said players. The vast majority of American players in the minor leagues right now cost very little money. Its ‘risky” to sign Suzuki at $100M because he may perform at a much lower level..
I agree with the others….you are programmed to look for offense.
shocktop
Oh, I called his comment racist did I?
=========================================
Just like everyone else in here, I think calling it cringy was a stupid thing to say.
I really wanted Suzuki for the RS, and I think he’ll be fine. Hayes said he was a question mark. If you don’t think he is a question mark, then I seriously question your baseball judgement.
The lack of self-awareness in your comments is even more hilarious, shocktop.
I honestly feel embarrassed for you
Talk about cringe.
And a lot of people have and will continue to get a lot of mileage out of doing just that. A full deck of Ace of Spades!
shocktop, I would think that the generally higher prices for bringing in Japanese players merits reminder that the higher price doesn’t necessarily mean a smoother retention of production in the transition. It’s not cringy to share the reminder.
It’s cringy to point out NPB. We aren’t talking about every other foreign contract. Rusney Castillo’s got a seven-year contract with the Boston Red Sox, signed in 2014, worth $72.5 million. First baseman José Dariel Abreu signed a six-year contract worth $68 million with the Chicago White Sox in 2013. This contract is a bargain comparatively.
Both signings were questioned for the same reasons as the time. Abreu has been fantastic. Castillo was a bust. That’s common knowledge, and there is no need to continue to beat that dead horse.
because the pitching in the NPB isn’t as good.. why is that cringy? baseball fans have known this for years.
Why? It’s the same thought process when players go from one league to the other, especially since the AL is a more power hitting league. Though that will now change with the DH in the NL.
Yeah, or when people say you can’t expect a guy to perform in MLB like he did in A/AA/AAA, etc. Unless you’re someone that’s a fan of recreational outrage, it shouldn’t be a big deal.
Because there are always question marks cast on players switching countries and especially ones jumping from NPB to the MLB, even established ones who’ve grown accustomed to 9 years of success at a league with a lesser level of pitching, a different baseball and different customs – the USA and Japan are vastly different places, especially Chicago. He may be a allstar, or he may struggle to hit his weight. It would be great for the game if he was a star, but it’s fair to say…that’s no sure thing.
The only thing gross and cringy is your comment. How do people like you make it through life?
I make it through life by consuming people like you.
You make it through life being a narrow-minded bigot who lacks the maturity to recognize that we all have different opinions. Utterly pathetic.
Haha. Dumb.
I hate to reply to this because I think you might be trolling. This dude just got $85 million. The NPB is a very competitive league in Japan and one of the best in the world. Many American-born and other foreign players trying to get a shot at the majors play there too
Questions are made concerning players coming over from foreign pro leagues. If you cringe over that, you’re just soft
I cringe when it’s pointed out specifically that its NPB. Your screen name says all I need to know about where you are soft.
I agree I’m just hoping that we can somehow trade JHey to make cap space to sign Shwarber to play DH
Schwarber signed with the Philadelphia days ago and no one wants Heyward or his contract.
“Gross thing to say” lol what?? The NPB is not nearly as good as the MLB. There is always a question mark about players coming from a less competitive league to a more competitive league.
You’re calling an obvious fact a “gross thing to say” lol
It’s tough to jump a rebuild when you can spend $229MM & still make a nice profit. Add another starter or two, a bullpen arm or two and this team can contend for that #6 playoff spot.
Spoken like a true Bernie Bro
This is a troll buffet.
Spoken like a true Trump Tramp.
You’re embarrassing yourself, Shocktop
VonPurpleHayes — Agreed. I think the Cubs are moving forward very nicely. They won’t win anything this season, but assuming Suzuki is the real deal and some of their other players continue to mature, if I were a Cubs fan I’d be pretty pleased. They have a plan.
It’s cringey to say “cringey” so much. Some of you guy’s comments are absolutely effing ridiculous. All this “woke” garbage is so incredibly stupid. Thanks for a good St Patties Day giggle.
Very nice signing for the Cubbies!
And Heyward can now be a bench player.
I’m hoping Suzuki is not Mr April like Fukudome.
As always, we await developments.
Wow, many were guessing he’d sign with a west coast team. I was hoping he’d come to Tampa Bay. Either way, I’m excited to see the dude play ball.
Cubs might just finish ahead of Pittsburgh and Cincy
Better than him landing w/ one of the juggernauts.
Surprised SF didn’t land him, and God knows the Padres are still interested in everyone under the sun despite their payroll situation. He’s the right player at the right time at the right price for the Cubs.
As usual, FZ puts a price he’s willing to pay on free agents and will not go above it. It’s worked so far, but never overpaying is risky when trying to attract hitters to a pitcher’s park.
didn’t see this coming. Cubs are playing kind of a weird game here–they’re adding seemingly-random pieces (Stroman) like they’re a lot closer to contention than they are. But hey, glad to see ’em trying.
Which is a LOT more than we can say for the Reds.
Padres are going to sign Freeman now and bum everyone out.
The only bummed out will be Hosmer, then he’ll get a bank statement.
Why would they sign ANOTHER first baseman?
If they sign Freeman they will try and dump Hosmer’s salary by trading him with a high level prospect to a team like the Cubs who have cap space and are looking to add young prospects.
I dunno, Hosmer’s contract is pretty weighty and still has multiple years on it. I think he’s untradable, even if a top prospect is tossed in.
Wouldn’t the smarter thing be to trade for Stanton and keep Hosmer and the prospect?
Now it’s time for all the fans of other teams who wanted Suzuki to immediately declare that Suzuki will fail or the Cubs made a bad signing.
100%. Just like when people said that Bryant, Baez, Schwarber were bums but once free agents they all drooled over their teams landing them.
Suzuki will be the next Mike Trout. Top player in all history that plays in one playoff series.
Next Mike trout please …
No need for that. I suspect most fans were interested in his upside and held reasonable concern that his production wouldn’t hold up going from Japan to MLB (relative to cost). In most cases, you don’t get Ichiro and you don’t get Hideki Irabu – you get Daisuke Matsuzaka, some good and some bad.
I was secretly hoping the White Sox would surprise us all and sign him, but I’m still excited to see him play. As with anyone coming in, jury’s out on how well he’ll do, but considering the tools he’s purported to have, the floor seems higher with him than a lot of rookies.
Signing him to fill our RF hole would make perfect sense, so naturally we didn’t do it. So sick of the Sox FO.
As a Padres fan, congrats to the Cubs with the signing. The Padres offer wasn’t bad but not good enough to sign him. 5yrs/75mil
Lfg!!!
Bloom, what are you DOING? Sox couldn’t/wouldn’t match or beat that?!? Come on.
Better get Freeman or this is an atrocious off-season.
There’s nothing atrocious about having a price line on every player and holding back from crossing that like. Spending for the sake of spending has always led to the deals that have gone worst for Boston…doing another of those would be the true mistake.
The casual fans think that the answer to everything is more spending, especially on names they recognize.
The problem is the market can change after you place a value number on a player. Doing nothing because the market changed and your valuation was proven wrong only leaves you in the dust.
Cubs gonna make the playoffs now. Huge move.
Specifically said hitters. Ohtani is valid but still young enough that the author didn’t qualify it as “sustained”
Suzuki has a different swing style than most hitters from Japan. Not so much a slap hitter. Has a longer swing more like MLB players. Still have to worry about catching up to MLB fastball velocity he’s never seen.
Over all, he’s projected to be average or greater. Supposed to have huge power
Good signing
His swing is really strong actually. He looks like a guy who played college ball in Georgia, not a slap hitter at all.
Average fast ball in MLB is 91.7 MPH average in NPB is 90.3
Riinnnggggg! A little past 9:00 am Chaim! Time to wake up.
Are the Cubs trying to compete or not?
I honest-to-God don’t know. Stroman and Suzuki say yes, the fire sale last year says no. My guess is they spend the year around .500, then are aggressive in FA again next year and make a run at least the WC in ’23.
Last year wasn’t a fire sale. Those guys had expiring contracts.
In my mind, a fire sale is when a team trades away a bunch of players in a short time. Their contract status has no bearing on it. If your definition is different, that’s just semantics. It looked like a teardown that would jumpstart a rebuild.
The trade deadline deals were productive. Baez and Rizzo both ended up getting literally tens of million less than the Cubs offered.
Your own comment here explains why you can’t relegate your definition of “fire sale” as semantic fluff. The understanding of “fire sale” you (and five pound bass, I’d argue) seem to subscribe to includes the implication that a team trades away many of its most valuable players with an intention for a rebuild, which implies a slower process. Bass is suggesting that this wasn’t the intention; I believe that he’s saying that it was strategically trying to turn a lot of expiring contracts into something of value with the focus on reshaping the team the next year.
On that latter point—if I haven’t put words in his mouth—I agree with him. However, I do agree with YOU that what the Cubs did last year was indeed a fire sale. I just don’t agree that a fire sale necessarily implies a rebuilding process.
Sorry if it sounds like I’m splitting hairs or being pedantic, but semantic meaning is kind of important to my daily work, and I couldn’t help but notice how connotation and denotation were causing loggerheads here.
@capt That was my point exactly. The hyrax comment said that last years fire sale meant they aren’t trying to complete. Selling expiring contracts when you are out if the race does not imply that you aren’t planning to compete the following year.
That said, I’m as curious as anyone else as to which direction they are headed in the near future
They have to make an attempt and they are. They can’t do what they did in 2012. The fans are spoiled now and won’t go for it especially with Ricketts making some tone-deaf comments.
I don’t expect them to make the postseason this year, but with Davis coming up, another trade deadline and another off-season, they could be contenders in 2023.
Of course they can do what they did in 2012. It worked before, it will work again.
Everyone they traded they were about to lose anyway so maybe that was never a fire sale to begin with.
They are if they cut Jason Heyward
70 million for in unproven mlb player is way to much
So all the other teams that have been after him for months were offering way less? Doubtful.
Of course they were….that’s why he signed with the Cubs LOL
If we were talking some kid from Cuba or the D.R., I’d agree, but of all the leagues in the world, the NPB is the closest in quality to MLB and he dominated there. You’re right, he’s unproven, but I don’t think it’s an overpay at all. A little bold to take that risk, but there’s a ton of potential upside. Plus, unlike most guys on rookie deals, there’s cost control; he won’t go through arbitration his last 3 years. That has its own value for planning purposes and salary cap implications.
Now that the numbers have been adjusted up a bit, I do think it’s a bit too expensive. Still a good chance he makes this look like a steal, though.
Good take. The contract is what it is. He could bust, but the numbers are fantastic at the next highest level of baseball.
Think it of as an Jose Abreu type signing.
As a Cubs fan and family from Japan. I am excited to have Seiya-san come to Wrigley. He’s a hard worker like another Suzuki before him. His defense and base running are very good. Hopefully he’ll be patient with his approach as he’s learning our pitchers here. Gunbatene Seiya-san! Mahalo!
I hope he provides us all with great entertainment. Enjoy!
I hope he’s more shohei than shogo
kgcubs
As a Cubs fan and family from Japan. I am excited to have Seiya-san come to Wrigley.
============================
I worked for the Japanese for a long time. I was under the impression that they never used first names (Seiya), at least among themselves.
I’m surprised how low that total dollar amount is. His numbers seem to be worth a bigger investment from someone.
Japanese hitters not named Ichiro rarely pan out….you can pretty much take .200-.300 off his OPS of 1.000
If the Cubs got an .800 OPS from Suzuki with plus defense, that would be good.
Why do you mean…he isn’t in love with Beantown Chowda after all and not signing with the Sox?
Thought this, according to Boston Nation fans was a done deal,…..he was in love with Beantown!
Sorry, but this just is a good example that we, as commenters, don’t really know or understand what is really happening behind the MLB team curtain/player negotiations…..it’s just fun to debate the possibilities……
I never once heard anyone suggest that. Not saying that it wasn’t said by anyone, but probably a minority take and those should just be left alone.
There were quite a few people on here a month or so ago that were talking about it.
Zips had the Cubs at 6.8. now at 12.4% of making the play offs.
Nice bump but it is not making a bad team passable.
Sign Schwarber and get a legit closer and they might sniff 30%. Just saying this team is built on maybe vs is.
Nice going Cubbies.
Wow, where did the Cubs come in?! We’ve heard very little of Midwest baseball & Suzuki – it’s been all west coast & Boston….
That said, 5/$70 is right on par for his services so, good deal Cubbie Nation, good luck with this guy, he looks to be pretty legit.
Hoyer met with him Monday night. Must’ve said what the young man wanted to hear. Well done.
They were also finalists in the Othani sweepstakes when it wasn’t expected. They must have a good pitch.
Wait is his name pronounced like Michael Kay’s “SEE YA!”….? He would’ve had a field day with that one…
I’m not usually the type of person to throw my hands up when my team doesn’t sign a player I think they should have, but I have to say I think Bloom messed up here. This is a totally reasonable price to bring in a starting right-fielder. The Red Sox badly need a right handed bat and the options are dwindling. Not sure what to make of the lack of activity, but I really hope he surprises me with a significant move.
A sign Bloom is going big to get Freeman??? Otherwise Bloom missed the mark again.
If they want a RH’d bat and they plan to spend, why wouldn’t they go with the more versatile Bryant?
The Red Sox are like the Angels…cheap…very cheap! I realize they have had some high payrolls but look at how many contracts they’ve dumped or getting rid of players before they need to be paid.
Well at least the guy made a decision! Now some other dominos can start to fall in the outfield market, Bryant is up next I bet. Congrats Cubs fans I wanted that one, I think he will be fun to watch.
So, what… two years until there are Fukudome like levels of Suzuki Cubs jerseys making their way to the landfill?
Were you one that was hoping for the demise of baseball?
debbie downer here haha!
As a Cubs fan, I’m happy to see this. Does he not understand how bad the Cubs are right now? Makes we wonder what they promised him. Or maybe he just likes deep dish pizza.
Cubs aren’t that far away from competing. They need a starter @ several bullpen pieces. A lefty with pop somewhere would help as well. Behind Milwaukee, that division is not great. If they are there at the deadline, they will add what they need.
The Mariners just got two proven MLB All Stars for less than Seiya Suzuki. Jesse Winker bats left handed, which they need and Suarez can hold down 3B until Noelvi Marte is ready. But in Cubbie land Suzuki looks like a good deal.
I think the M’s did well with the trade but we can’t say it was for less without knowing what the prospects they gave up end up doing.
It’s disappointing to see a player from overseas sign with a non playoff team. Cubs are not winning anything in the next 5 years.
Can you look into your crystal ball and tell me today’s winning lottery numbers?
“You have got to keep faith!”
$100M for 5 years! Wow….that’s some risk for a Japanese hitter.
ooh… that’s ALOT of money… no trade clause? oh god, this better work out.
100m for someone that’s never played in the mlb is a lot. Hope it works out for the cubs.
Correa next.
I THOUGHT HE WAS SIGNING WITH THE PADRES !?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
I am hoping he fairs better than Fukudome. The cubs are really a mixed signals team right now. Say they’re not going to splash money (pre-FA), sign two mid-range deals. I like the Stroman signing more since there’s less risk, but hopeful this guy can hit.
The defense, at least, ought to translate well. That gives him a certain floor. From what I’ve read about him, my guess is he slots in somewhere between Matsui and Ichiro in overall value (more toward the former), which the Cubs should be pretty happy with.
wondering if this means the giants pivot and take another look @ KB – I assume it depends on how hard the rox are going at him
I was hoping he was Boston-bound, but we have to re-direct. Maybe throw in a couple of extra $$$ to convince Story to play 2nd. Past that, good signing for the Cubs. For all the Cub fans whining about not extending Rizzo, et al, this is one of the benefits.
Instead of Darvish & Rizzo, for example, they now have Stroman & Suzuki and 5 prospects. Good long-term planning.
Cubs offered more money and a guaranty that he had a starting OF position, simple enough. I don’t quite understand this rebuild process…it’s like they follow to see if their trending and when it gets to low they make some kind of deal.
Why is it a rebuild? The Cubs have never stated it’s a rebuild. They have said they will spend (smartly). I don’t see a bad signing so far. The AAV for Suzuki is $17 mil over 5/yrs. The posting fee means nothing. You’d have to think he adds that much value.
it’s a rebuild because they tore down @ the DL last year
They traded expiring contracts and have complete payroll flexibility. What did they win last year? It’s not a rebuild. Look at the signings. Also, look at the impact players in the Farm.
Exactly! This is a very encouraging sign! Now get me correa and castleanos and a sp and we’re cooking with gas lol
paindonthurt
They traded expiring contracts and have complete payroll flexibility. What did they win last year? It’s not a rebuild.
==============================
It’s not eve close to a rebuild. It barely even qualifies as a reset. They are basically trading Rizzo, Bryant, Kimbrel, and Baez for Stroman, Suzuki, Madrigal, and Crow-Armstrong. And maybe Correa,
I cant wait to watch suzuki play. Glad he came over and found a home.
For the Padres bring in Joc Pederson for 1 year club option on 2nd year. Also bring in matt duffy as a RH ss 3b 2B 1B bat who can platoon with Hosmer
Please be more Ichiro and less Fukudome
I mean in terms of MLB success
..or Akiyama
Suzuki’s stats in Japan are off the charts. What a good signing by the Cubs.
Take off .200-.300 from his OPS. Japanese hitters not names Ichiro seldom pan ou…
Not many Japanese players have a power swing like his, he has a more power driven approach compared to the vast majority of the other contact oriented Japanese players
This guys is built like a tank. He definitely isn’t a slap hitter.
I agree. I’ve been watching YT videos of him. He stays balanced and has legit power with a compact swing. He walked more than he struck out last year as well. I think he will transition well into an all star caliber RF.. There will likely be a learning curve, but unless the entire galaxy aligned, we aren’t winning a World Series this year anyway.
Nice. I’d been thinking SF this entire time.
Does a Wil Myers for Jason Heyward swap make sense for either team? Adding a minor league player or 2? of course to offset Heywards contract.
No. The Padres want to take money off the books. That makes zero sense for them.
Cubs will have to do something with Heyward. He’s making way too much to be a 4th OF. For some reason I see CHC dealing him to the Angels and eating about half the balance on that contract.
Heyward is a 20 million dollar defensive replacement. My fear is he will get way too many starts because of that awful contract.
Well, he’s getting some reps in CF this morning, so that may be the plan. Cubs would have to include a decent prospect to get someone to take him. Trading him for another bad contract isn’t the answer either.
Plus Myers is a lot better than Hey
What can my A’s do to aquire Brennen Davis ?
Lol that is not happening. Kid is going to be a star, expect to see him in a few months if he starts off where he left off at Iowa.
That ain’t happening.
I would be super excited if I was a cubs fan. Seiya is in his prime, this is a defining move for the direction of this team. The Simmons signing is what throws me off.
Simmons is coming off the bench, maybe play some second. I still think we have a shot at Correa. And if not 4 mill isn’t too much for the best defensive ss in the game
Neither middle infielder they have is a plus defensive SS. It shouldn’t be surprising to add one.
I could see Story for an identical contract to Baez’s. I just can’t picture Correa out of Houston.
Don’t be shocked if Simmons shows a bit of a bump hitting wise as a Cub
Really disappointed the Giants lost out. He was a perfect fit. They need an OF and the lineup as is skews left handed. Obviously Suzuki was a FA and had his choice, but why the Cubs over the Giants? That’s assuming the Giants were his second choice which may not be the case.
Oh well…..back to the drawing board…..
Giants might resign Bryant?
Maybe…..but only on the Giants’ terms and not his. I’m just not sold on Bryant. Since 2017 he has put up 10.5 WAR in just over 1800 PAs- or just about 3.5 WAR per 600 ABs/full season. Nice numbers……but do you put up 6/180M for that?
Exactly and yet so many wonder why he was traded.
If you’re Colorado, you do!
Chicago White Sucks Cubs haters qeued up..3…2..1…
Cubs gonna cub.
I like the Cubs kind of sticking thier neck out here in the fact that it’s a big commitment for guy that could be good or could be a bust. As a Cubs fan, I’m excited.
Should have went to the Padres. Reminds me of when we lost Kosuke Fukudome to the Cubs in 2007…so frustrating. Good luck on a rebuild Chicago team that will likely be sellers at the trade deadline.
The Cubs are reloading, not rebuilding, and inching closer to playoff contention, maybe similar odds as SD at this point. Also, it’s a five-year deal, so 2023-’26 matter, too.
In Bloom I trust
So now Heyward is a 44 million dollar PH who can’t hit? Good luck trying to move him now. So this guy really cost 143 million. 99 plus 44. Stupid Move. Really.
Heyward had 74 starts in CF as recently as 2019, and is only 32. Any chance of the Cubs switching him?
Well if you want a guy who can’t hit and blocks Ortega, Happ, and your best prospect for 2 years and a costs a fortune, Then Heyward is your guy I guess.
Thank you for your response. Happ grades out poorly in CF, but passable in LF. Ortega.is a 30 year old journeyman, with his 7th team. Are the Cubs going to be better starting Ortega in CF every day, instead of Heyward?
And FWIW, ‘costs a fortune’ is completely irrelevant.
So, you would prefer to play Heyward and him hit .205… Ya, I’m glad that you aren’t on Jed Hoyer’s staff. He has proven over the past 5 years (and trending down) that he can’t hit and nobody is going to offload that contract.
Yeah, if you just arbitrarily decide to add another player’s salary on to his, that makes it stupid…not quite as stupid as that reasoning, but close.
All I can say after reading all these comments about the dubious abilities of Japanese players is, if you can think of a more amazingly talented MLB ballplayer than Shohei Ohtani in the league last year, please tell me who it is.
3.18 ERA
141 ERA+
10.8 K/9
965 OPS
158 OPS+
46 HR
26 stolen bases
AL MVP
30 of 30 first-place votes
Very few people said that. Most said he was a question mark. I expect him to do well, in the range of .800-8.25 OPS, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a question mark.
And pointing out Ohtani and the other Suzuki, doesn’t mean he is a lock to succeed.
What’s the essential difference between “dubious ability” and “a question mark”?
Merriam-Webster’s seems to think they’re in pretty much the same ballpark:
“dubious: of doubtful promise or outcome”
“question mark: someone (such as an athlete) whose condition, talent, or potential for success is in doubt”
Wow, you have completely derailed.
I did a word search for the word “dubious”. Of the 7,000+ words, you were the only one that used the word “dubious”. If you want to show me where it was used, I’ll be glad to address it.
I’ll wait.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Are you trying to argue that 1 japanese player being good offsets all the ones who have been bad? Guess your ability to make a coherent argument is dubious.
There have been 14 Japanese position players before 2020. Of those, four have been above-average players: Ichiro, Matsui, Ohtani and Aoki.
Matsui was a World Series MVP and 2X All-Star.
Ichiro was a ROY, AL MVP, All-Star Game MVP, 2X batting champion, 3X Silver Slugger, 10X All Star with 10 Gold Gloves, 3,089 hits and 509 stolen bases.
Aoki had a 6-year career with a .285 BA and a 102 OPS+
Ohtani was a ROY, AL MVP, Sporting News Major League Player of the Year, Silver Slugger and All-Star. He’s probably the greatest two-way player since Babe Ruth.
Besides those four, four other Japanese players played in at least five MLB seasons, and one of them, So Taguchi, played in 8 seasons and lasted until he was 39.
So out of only 14 players, the Japanese have won two MVP Awards.
There have been 5,219 MLB players with at least 400 plate appearances since 1911, the year of the first MVP awards, and a total of 204 MVP awards issued, with 32 multiple winners.
Therefore, the ratio of MVP Awards won by Japanese players to the total number of Japanese players is far higher than the ratio of MVP Awards won by non-Japanese players to the total number of non-Japanese players.
And the ratio of Japanese players with above-average careers to the total number of Japanese players is far higher than the ratio of non-Japanese players with above-average careers to the total number of non-Japanese players.
How’s that for a coherent argument, poopbag?
8.25 OPS now THAT’D be one hell of a season
Eddy Alvarez sighting in the moblie header!
Bugger.
Well his first hit was smashing contract predictions out of the ballpark ! Competition was obviously fierce. Might have benefited from the fact he hasn’t got defensive liabilities. Good luck to him.
Jed Hoyer the G.O.A.T.
So what OF spot does he play? There’s gonna be an odd man out. Love this signing.
I read that RF is his best position (3 gold gloves), but also has played center.. Heyward is the odd man out, but I’m sure he will get plenty of games in CF… Especially if Ortega doesn’t pan out.
Didn’t Shogo have similar numbers? So much buzz around him signing two years ago and then he wasn’t good. Not saying the same will happen, but they’re around the same size with similar numbers.
Not those types of numbers. Suzuki has an OPS > 1.000 the past several years. Shogo was in the range of maybe .900. Taking off 200 points might be accurate. And Shogo was 32 when he cam here. Suzuki is 27.
And Ricketts wants to bid on Chelsea FC?!?!
Maybe Pulisic can play SS
But the Padres signed him days ago!!?? (Eyeroll)
As a Giants fan, I’m majorly disappointed. Congrats to the Cubs, though that’s quiet a hefty contract with a no-trade clause.
Probably made a huge chunk of that back in jersey sales. Everyone needs to replace their Bryant, Baez, Rizzo jerseys. lol
This isn’t far off. Marketing revenue alone will partially offset the contract.
Calling it now… Suzuki will have a 4HR game in 2022. Should be an electric season for this guy!
Similar to the deal the Cubs gave in 2008 to a guy we loved to call “Fukyudoome”…but honestly he was a perfect fit for the Sox, not sure why they did not add him during their window; the Cubs window doesn’t even open for at least 2 more years at best.
Only 3 offensive players from Japan: Ichiro, Otani, Matsui have had prolonged, sustained MLB success. That would fill me with trepidation. Yet I hope Suzuki will be #4…because I love baseball.
I’d also add Tanaka into that. He had a decent 7 years with the Yankees.
On offense?
As far as longevity goes, most Japanese players came to MLB later than most prospects make it to the majors. Several managed to play for five or more years. The best example you missed was Nori Aoki: 6 years, 102 OPS+
Hiroshima is a small ballpark and all the ballpark on his division are small
Let see how that power translate into USA stadium.