*Photo from McCovey Chronicles*
With all the suitors and potential destinations out there for Seiya Suzuki, a new team emerged and stole him from everyone else. The Chicago Cubs and Suzuki have agreed to a 5 year, $85 million deal, according to David Kaplan of NBC Sports Chicago. The Cubs have confirmed the deal.
After a wave of trades at last year's trade deadline, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer pledged in the offseason to be aggressive on the free agent market, in an attempt to make the Cubs better. With the signing of Suzuki, he is making good on his promise, also giving Suzuki a full no trade clause in his contract. In addition to the $85 million, the Cubs are also paying a posting fee.
Last season, with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, Suzuki hit for a .317 batting average, with a whopping .636 slugging percentage and 1.069 OPS, mashing 38 home runs to go along with 88 RBI's, playing in 134 games for the Toyo Carp.
Across 9 seasons in Japan, Suzuki has a .309 average with a .541 slugging percentage and .943 OPS, slapping 189 home runs with 621 RBI's in 1,055 games, all in a Toyo Carp uniform. He made his debut in 2013, playing 104 games.
Cubs brass met with Suzuki's camp in Arizona on Monday night, with chairman Tom Ricketts also being a part of the meeting alongside Hoyer and manager David Ross. Suzuki, who is only 27, is set to be a key cog to the Cubs lineup, potentially for longer than the 5 year deal they signed him to on Wednesday.
As things currently stand, Suzuki will slot into a Cubs outfield group that includes Clint Frazier, Ian Happ, Jason Heyward, and Rafael Ortega, with some combination of Happ, Suzuki, and Heyward as the likely opening day outfield. Suzuki is also the latest acquisition by the Cubs this winter, joining Frazier, Andrelton Simmons, Marcus Stroman, and Wade Miley.
Comments
Post a Comment