The Blue Jays are wasting no time getting a read on the offseason market, and Seiya Suzuki is already on their radar.
Toronto, coming off a season that fell well short of expectations after nearly knocking off the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 of the World Series last October, is expected to attack its offense first. That need has pushed Suzuki into the conversation, with The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon reporting that the Blue Jays are expected to pursue him this winter.
For the Cubs, that creates an early warning sign in a free-agent race that already looks difficult to manage. Suzuki hit 26 home runs for Chicago this season and finished with a 134 wRC+, numbers that place him among the best available hitters on the market. In a thin free-agent class, that kind of production is going to draw real attention fast.
Chicago would make sense to keep the door open on a reunion, but the expectation has been that Suzuki’s price could outpace the Cubs’ appetite. It’s not a matter of the club lacking resources entirely.
The bigger issue is where that money is likely headed. The sense has been that the Cubs want to put most of their financial weight into upgrading the pitching staff.
That’s part of why Ian Happ has long been viewed as the more likely of the two outfielders to still be with the Cubs in 2027. Earlier this week, our own Pat Ragazzo reported that Happ would be interested in taking another discount to return to Chicago next season.
If Suzuki walks, the Cubs will have some decisions to make about how they fill the gap. Josiah Hartshorn and Kane Kepley drew attention last season, but neither looks like a realistic candidate to break camp with the team in 2027. Pedro Ramirez or Matt Shaw could enter the mix, though there’s also a real possibility one of them could be moved in a trade to bring back a cost-controlled pitcher.
However this shakes out, losing Suzuki would be a major hit to Chicago’s offense. He has been a central piece of the Cubs’ production over the past two seasons, and if the team doesn’t replace that bat in a meaningful way, some regression would be hard to avoid.
In Other News...
Cubs Lose Another Pitching Depth Option After Brief Uneven Stint
Corbin Martin is one of six minor league players who have elected free agency after finishing the season on outright assignments, a move that lets them reach the market earlier than the usual major league free-agent timeline. For the Cubs, it means another pitching depth name is on the move after a brief, uneven stint in the organization, a familiar kind of churn at this time of year as clubs sort through the back end of the roster.
Martin had been part of a group that included players with recent designation-for-assignment history and varying minor league resumes, underscoring how quickly those depth pieces can cycle through an organization. For Chicago, the timing matters because these are the kinds of arms teams often hope to keep around as insurance, but once a player chooses free agency, the Cubs have to look elsewhere for that same low-cost rotation and bullpen cushion. [Read more 🡒]
Ian Happ Just Sounded Like A Cub Saying Goodbye
Ian Happs recent comments carried the kind of weight that gets attention in Chicago, because they sounded like a player who understands the business side of the game and what free agency can mean for a longtime Cub. He spoke with appreciation for his time in the organization while also acknowledging that his run with the team may be nearing its end, which is not usually the tone of a player headed into an offseason of uncertainty.
Happ is set to hit free agency this winter, and there has been at least some indication he could be open to a team-friendly arrangement if it keeps him on the North Side. The Cubs, for their part, have had interest in bringing him back and could envision a platoon role, which leaves just enough room for a return, even if the conversation around it already feels a little like a goodbye. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Rotation Need Just Ran Into A Brutal Tarik Skubal Reality
The Cubs know the rotation could use another impact arm, but the market may be about to make that search a lot tougher. Tarik Skubal is expected to land at the top of the free-agent pitching class, with Jeff Passan reporting that his next deal could climb to a level that would reshape the entire market. For a Chicago team trying to balance ambition with roster-building realities, that kind of price tag immediately turns a dream fit into more of a luxury than a plan.
Chicago is not expected to seriously chase Skubal, and age is part of the reason the fit looks so difficult. Instead, the Cubs are more likely to keep working through other starting-pitcher options once free agency opens, hoping to find a deal that brings real rotation help without forcing them into the kind of bidding war that only a handful of clubs can afford. [Read more 🡒]