MESA, Ariz. (670 The Score) – In a room packed with both American and Japanese media members, outfielder Seiya Suzuki was introduced by the Cubs on Friday afternoon after signing a five-year, $85-million deal with the team.
The Cubs' addition of Suzuki was a significant move for an organization that had a big need in the outfield after a 71-91 campaign in 2021. Suzuki is set to become the Cubs' everyday right fielder and give them much-needed power, as he hit 38 homers and had a 1.069 OPS in 134 games for the Hiroshima Carp of the Nippon Professional Baseball league in Japan in 2021.
The Cubs also liked how Suzuki fits their timeline. They Cubs don't project to be a championship contender in 2022 as they undergo a retooling process after parting ways with many core members in 2021, but they want to get back to the highest level as soon as they can.
"We talk a lot about threading the needle," president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. "We think the signing of Suzuki is very consistent with our vision. He is 27 years old, and this is a deal for his prime years with us. A lot of teams wanted him for shorter terms. We said from the beginning that this signing would line up very well for us and not subtract from our goals of the last 16 months."
Suzuki had 12 teams bidding for his services. He viewed the Cubs as a fit both personally and professionally and Chicago as a city where he and his family could prosper.
"Everything was so good the way they presented things to me," Suzuki said. "They had a video presentation that almost made me cry. The whole thing really tugged at my heart."
The Cubs' presentation to Suzuki was extensive from a baseball and lifestyle perspective, even including weather charts that compared the climate of Chicago to that of Hiroshima.
"We knew about that question coming up so we gathered that information in advance," Hoyer said of the team's readiness to answer any and all questions. "We explained that April is cold, but the rest of the season the weather is not dissimilar to the weather he is used to in Japan."
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
