DALLAS (670 The Score) – As the Cubs have a logjam in their outfield, a new avenue has emerged that could potentially clear room to give promising players in their farm system an opportunity.
Cubs right fielder/designated hitter Seiya Suzuki is open to waiving his no-trade clause, agent Joel Wolfe said at the Winter Meetings on Tuesday. The 30-year-old Suzuki has two seasons left on his contract and is set to make $19 million each year.
Wolfe and Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer talked Monday night, with Hoyer keeping Wolfe informed of what teams had expressed interest in Suzuki in trade discussions. Suzuki would only consider a trade to a small group of teams, Wolfe said.
“I don't think that the Cubs want to necessarily trade Seiya,” Wolfe said. "However, if Jed thinks he has a deal that he can't pass up, Seiya would likely consider that.
“These are the Winter Meetings, so Jed is looking at all kinds of options to build out his roster. He asked if we would be flexible if they want to move Seiya and another player you have read about. We said that we would. He has come to talk to us about a few different options. We listened, and I talked to Seiya about it. Seiya said he would be flexible in certain situations.”
Suzuki was one of the Cubs’ most dangerous hitters in 2024, batting .283 with 21 homers, 73 RBIs and an .848 OPS. He posted a 138 OPS+ and was a Silver Slugger finalist.
The trouble was that Suzuki’s defense was poor, and he was relegated to almost exclusively being the Cubs’ designated hitter late in the season after youngster Pete Crow-Armstrong established himself in center field, which pushed Cody Bellinger to right field. Suzuki too often had difficulty tracking flyballs.
Suzuki isn’t interested in being the Cubs’ everyday designated hitter, which complicates matters further.
“He feels he would not want to be a full-time DH at this stage of his career,” Wolfe said. “He has been a high-performing outfielder in the past in his career overall. I believe that is where he is coming from.”
The Cubs are open to trading Bellinger as they canvass options for how to improve their club this often. Trading Suzuki and/or Bellinger would create a runway for a prospect such as Owen Caissie to land a spot on the 26-man roster. It would also give the Cubs more financial flexibility to add in free agency.
If the Cubs do indeed shop Suzuki on the trade market, the Giants, Mariners and Padres are three teams to keep an eye on.
For their part, the Cubs are still operating as if Suzuki will be in their everyday lineup somewhere in 2025.
“From a Seiya standpoint, he’s going to be a huge part of our team,” general manager Carter Hawkins said. “Obviously one of the better hitters in the league. There will be chances for him to play in the outfield. There will be chances for him to DH. We expect him to be a huge impact player for us.
“We talk all the time (with Wolfe) and communicate really, really well. We don’t talk about our free-agent negotiations, and we aren’t going to talk about our trade negotiations either.”
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.