Cubs Extend Qualifying Offer to Seiya Suzuki, Decline to Do So for Ian Happ, Matthew Boyd

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Seiya Suzuki can't leave the Cubs for nothing. Though the team will only receive a low-level draft pick if Suzuki signs elsewhere as a free agent this winter, they will, at least, receive some compensation for the loss. They extended Suzuki a one-year, $23.15-million qualifying offer ahead of Monday afternoon's deadline (and the starting point for true free agency), attaching the loss of a draft pick by a signing team to him whenever and wherever he signs. This doesn't preclude Suzuki re-signing with Chicago, but it ensures that they get a last morsel of value from him if he departs.

Interestingly, the team eschewed the chance to offer the same deal to both Ian Happ and Matthew Boyd. Neither player changed teams during the 2026 season, and neither had received a qualifying offer before, so they could have been tagged the same way, but the Cubs clearly felt that neither would be worth the hefty salary they'd receive if they accepted the deal—and that there was at least some chance they would do so. Happ and Boyd, too, could re-sign with the Cubs, but should either head for greener pastures, the team won't get anything in return.

Suzuki, 32, was a no-brainer to receive this offer. He's one of the top bats on the free-agent market. He batted .270/.368/.473 in the final year of his five-year contract with the Cubs, and has been one of the most reliably productive right-handed hitters in the majors over that half-decade. As Cubs fans know very well, that year-to-year consistency masks major streaks and slumps within seasons, but still, Suzuki has been an indispensable slugger for the Cubs during their emergence from a brief rebuilding phase. His defense vastly improved in 2026, thanks in no small part to the tutelage of Cubs outfield coach Quintin Berry, and he should successfully market himself as a corner outfielder, rather than a designated hitter. He's a lock to reject the offer. If the Cubs want him back, they'll have to pony up at least $25 million per year on a deal covering at least three seasons.

The pick the Cubs might get to compensate for the loss of Suzuki is not a premium one. Because they were competitive-balance tax payers this year, they'll receive a pick after the fourth round. It's better than nothing, but that might also be part of the reason why the team didn't extend offers to Hepp or Boyd. The reward for whatever risk one sees in making that offer is not as great as it has been in recent years when the Cubs stayed below the first tax threshold.