The Mariners are trying to get Seiya Suzuki in the building before the clock runs out.
Seattle has emerged from the MLB general managers meetings in Las Vegas with a clearer sense of how this shortened offseason could unfold, and one of the names still sitting near the top of the board is the former Chicago Cubs outfielder. The club has reportedly shown renewed interest in Suzuki, and now it wants an in-person meeting with him in Seattle before the expected lockout, according to Seattle Times reporter Adam Jude.
That pursuit lines up with what was already reported early in the meetings: the Mariners intend to chase Suzuki in free agency even with the price tag that comes with him. It makes sense on paper.
He’s a plus defender in a corner spot, one of the best right-handed bats available, and a possible way for Seattle to reconnect with the Japanese market, which had long been an important source of both revenue and fan support for the organization. Those are all areas the Mariners could use help in.
Seattle’s interest in Suzuki isn’t new. The Mariners went after him when he was posted by the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in the 2021-22 offseason, even bringing in National Baseball Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki to host a dinner as part of the pitch. That effort didn’t land him, and Suzuki instead spent the next five years in Chicago.
Now the Mariners have a narrow window to change the outcome. The Collective Bargaining Agreement between MLB and the MLB Players Association expires Dec. 1, and the lockout that follows could shut down the process. That leaves Seattle less than three weeks to get the meeting done and, if things go well, work toward a deal.
Suzuki, 32, has been one of the more successful recent transitions from Nippon Professional Baseball to MLB. Over five seasons with the Cubs, he appeared in 675 games and hit .269/.351/.472 with an .823 OPS. He also piled up 142 doubles, 18 triples, 113 home runs and 382 RBIs.
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