Reports Emerge That Chicago Cubs Could Trade Star Outfielder Seiya Suzuki

The Chicago Cubs have numerous holes to fill on the roster, but having enough outfield depth certainly is not one of them.

In a group that features defensive stud Pete Crow-Armstrong along with expensive players like Cody Bellinger and Ian Happ along with Seiya Suzuki, someone may have to be moved this offseason in order to make room both financially for additions elsewhere and simply to put the best possible lineup out there. There's also the looming arrival of multiple top-100 prospects hoping to come in over the next couple of years and factor in as well.

Bellinger has been the subject of trade talks pretty much from the moment he opted into his $27.5 million player option, but according to a report from Joel Sherman of the New York Post, Suzuki could be on the block if the Cubs can't find a team to take on Bellinger. Sherman wrote that the Cubs are 'determined' to trade either Bellinger or Suzuki at the Winter Meetings.

Suzuki is due to make nearly $20 million in 2025 and is only under team control in Chicago for the next two seasons, so while trading him would sting, it would at least make sense.

He also could net a very solid return and should be among the most valuable trade possibilities on the market if the Cubs really do start shopping him around. A three-year MLB veteran, Suzuki has only improved as his career has gone on. Hitting .283 in 2024 with an OPS of .848, he also belted a career-high 21 home runs and seems to be finding another power gear each season.

Seeing Suzuki dealt would surely not be a popular move within the fanbase however as the argument can be made that he is Chicago's most productive and consistent offensive player. If given a choice between the two, Bellinger is the one it would sting much less to give up even though they would likely have to take on some of his salary. Bellinger like Suzuki is under contract until 2026, but his deal contains an opt out again after 2025, making him even less attractive to other teams.

Something else that could complicate the matter of moving either Suzuki or Bellinger is the fact both players have full no-trade clauses, meaning that they would have to approve of any deal the team wanted to make.

But if one of the two was going to be moved, it feels like Suzuki would be the significantly more tradable asset and someone that other teams would love the chance to acquire.