Seiya Suzuki's All-Around Brilliance Will Force the Cubs to Put Their Money Where Their Mouth Is

[Andrew Wright]

Image courtesy of Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

When he chose to sign with the Chicago Cubs after coming over from the NPB, Seiya Suzuki provided a much-needed power bat in right field that could be counted on to be in the lineup each and every day. Since then, he has done nothing but show up to the ballpark and mash, and that was no different in 2026, a season that very well may have been his last with Chicago.

Suzuki has provided some incredible moments in his time with the Cubs, such as his home run off Freddy Peralta in his third game at Wrigley Field, or his game-tying solo homer off Nick Pivetta in Game 1 of the 2025 Wild Card Series. With 113 career home runs already under his belt, he's been a reliable source of power with a knack for the clutch over the past half-decade.

Now, as for his 2026 outlook, it was sort of a hot-cold, hot-cold type season for Suzuki. He missed the beginning of the campaign after suffering an injury in the World Baseball Classic, but he was stellar when he made his season debut, He collected 67 at-bats in April and slashed .328/.430/.567, good for an OPS of .998 with a double, five home runs, nine RBIs, and 10 walks. It was the exact type of start to the season Suzuki had envisioned for himself headed into a free-agent year.

Then the calendar turned to May and that's when the cold stretch began. He had 105 at-bats and managed just a .190 average with two home runs, four doubles and 32 strikeouts, his most in any month the entire season. The oscillating production had his numbers looking wonky at the time, but as the weather got hot, so did his bat.

From June-August, Suzuki hit .297 with 17 home runs, 23 doubles, 45 walks, 61 RBI and an OPS near 1.000. That has been a major theme of Suzuki's career, with a lot of his success coming in the summer months when the weather is nice and the ball is jumping, The right fielder was a major reason for Chicago getting within three games of first place in the NL Central at one point in the summer.

September rolled around, though, and much like the rest of the offense, Suzuki struggled in a major way, He slashed just .226/.356/.357, giving him an OPS of .714 with just five extra-base hits and 23 strikeouts. He was one of several players that went limping into the postseason series that saw Chicago manage just one run in 18 innings.

Still, he ended the year with an excellent 134 wRC+, and that only tells half the story. Suzuki's much-improved defense this season was a major narrative for the Cubs, as he accrued +5 Outs Above Average and was nominated as a finalist for a Gold Glove Award for the first time in his MLB career. That was another added element that he hadn't yet showcased since leaving Japan, yet has now become a big part of what makes him such a valuable player.

Overall, Suzuki is coming off arguably the best season of his MLB career -- his 4.6 fWAR was by far his best mark ever -- and he will be an extremely hot commodity in free agency. He's a right-handed power bat that does a lot of slugging and can also give you well-above average defense in right field. The Cubs may not love the idea of handing out big money to a 32-year-old, but it would behoove them to keep the Japanese star around as long as possible.

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