Chicago Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki situation is even worse than you thought

The Chicago Cubs keep losing, and with every loss they add to their record, the greater the chances they actually sell off some pieces at the MLB trade deadline. That could include Seiya Suzuki, who is mired in what has easily been the worst season of his career.

Suzuki’s struggles have been a microcosm of the Cubs’ collapse as a whole in 2026. He is slashing .247/.333/.409 with nine home runs and 22 RBI over 225 plate appearances, one year after bashing 32 homers and driving in 103 runs. He posted an OPS north .800 each of the three preceding campaigns, but his production his year has fallen off a cliff.

It’s worse than you probably even thought, too.

Suzuki is batting a paltry .133 with runners in scoring position, and while he is hitting .321 in low-leverage situations, his average dips to .185 in high-leverage spots. It’s rather uncharacteristic of the 31-year-old, who batted .309 with men in scoring position last season and owns a lifetime .803 OPS in those spots.

What’s more, Suzuki is slated to hit free agency next winter, so Chicago might lose him for nothing if it doesn’t act now.

Chicago Cubs could trade Seiya Suzuki

As the Cubs continue to fade, it’s becoming more and more likely that Jed Hoyer will be forced to blow it up before Aug. 3, a scenario that seemed unthinkable a little over a month ago.

If it does reach a point where Chicago has to sell, Suzuki will be a prime trade candidate. But how much value will he actually have at this point?

Most of Suzuki’s value is baked into his bat. While he does own a surprising plus-5 DRS in the outfield this season, he has historically been a rather subpar defender, which is why he has spent so much time at designated hitter over the years.

So with the Japanese star owning a .747 OPS in the final year of his contract, teams are not exactly going to be falling over themselves to trade for him.

Sure, a ballclub in need of a bat would be interested in acquiring Suzuki with the hope that a change of scenery would do him some good. But he also might just be a two-month rental, which means the Cubs might really have to search long and hard to find a legitimate suitor.

Suzuki has had a fine tenure in Chicago, but it could be coming to an end, and it’s getting uglier by the second.

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