Seiya Suzuki has easily become a fan favorite since he chose to play on the North Side of Chicago back in 2022. He was a tantalizing Japanese superstar who was coming off a 38-home-run season in his final year in Nippon Professional Baseball. He finished his 9-year career with 182 home runs and a .985 OPS.

Suzuki had a finger sprain that kept him out for nearly two months in his first season with the Cubs, finishing the 2022 year with just 14 home runs and a .770 OPS. But after his rookie campaign, Suzuki had at least 20 home runs and maintained an OPS above .800 over the next four of five seasons in the big leagues.

In 2026, Suzuki finally showed what he can do as a complete player, showcasing his elite right-handed power and taking a surprising jump in the field defensively. He tied his career bests in hits (147) and doubles (31), along with setting career highs in batting average (.270), on-base percentage (.368), walks (81), and runs (96).

Suzuki was regarded as a plus defender coming out of the NPB, winning five Golden Glove awards while with the Hiroshima Carp. However, that defensive prowess hadn't translated to the Majors until this season. Suzuki finished second in Fangraphs' defensive WAR, defensive runs saved this year, and is a first-time finalist for a Gold Glove in RF.

Now the 32-year-old Suzuki enters free agency in the midst of what is expected to be a nasty lockout between the owners and the players. The outfielder is very likely the best right-handed bat on the market. With that being the case, The Athletic's Patrick Mooney has reported that interest in Suzuki is expected to go beyond the Cubs' comfort zone.

Did Suzuki price himself out of the Cubs budget?

This year's free agency class doesn't have many high-level bats, especially from the right side of the plate. Seiya Suzuki likely headlines this group, along with Randy Arozarena, Jazz Chisholm, and Brandon Lowe. Patrick Mooney's Athletic colleague Jim Bowden predicted Suzuki would sign a 5-year deal worth $120 mil ($24 mil per year), which to me feels pretty reasonable for Suzuki.

Since entering the league in 2022, Suzuki has been one of the 12 top right-handed hitters in baseball via wRC+(128) and OPS (823), ranking him among top hitters like Aaron Judge, Ronald Acuna Jr., and Mike Trout. Among the top 12 right-handed hitters since '22, Suzuki led them all in defensive runs saved this year with 14.

The Cubs have roughly $155 million in payroll potentially leaving the team, and while they have to fill a large portion of their rotation, there should be enough funds to sign Suzuki to another contract and address pitching. Bowden alluded to the Blue Jays showing interest in Suzuki, while Chris Cotillo of Mass Live reported that Craig Breslow and the Red Sox are "big fans" of the Japanese power-hitter.

Both the Blue Jays and Red Sox have more money than the Cubs committed to their books currently and are both within $5-20 mil of the luxury tax threshold. With that said, two other teams worth paying attention to are the Astros and Mariners.

Houston's Crawford Boxes in left field should help Suzuki steal a few home runs he wouldn't get at any other park, and he would provide protection to top hitter Yordan Alvarez. But the Astros also have a Top 7 payroll right now, making a massive signing of Suzuki questionable.

Seattle could make sense for Suzuki, given that they are likely losing Arozarena. A move to the West Coast would also allow Suzuki to be closer to his family in Japan. A similar case could be made for the Giants and the Padres, who were all seriously interested in Suzuki when he was posted from Japan in 2022.

Simply put, there is going to be a lot of interest in Suzuki this winter, especially with added pressure on teams to sign top players to deals before the December lockout. The Cubs have plenty of needs, but addressing the corner outfield has to be among their top priorities. Why? Because no matter what else the Cubs do this winter, it's hard to envision the team getting better with Seiya Suzuki wearing another uniform.