Chicago Cubs possibly facing major competition NYC for free agent Seiya Suzuki?

The Chicago Cubs will have to make several big, potentially team-altering decisions this coming offseason.

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And although the pitching situation garners most of the attention, the looming outfield dilemma has to be a close second in terms of impact.

Right fielder Seiya Suzuki and left fielder Ian Happ will both be eligible for free agency. There’s a very distinct possibility that they may be playing elsewhere in 2027 and that the Cubs will have to scramble to find suitable corner outfield replacements on the fly.

The consensus opinion among many knowledgeable baseball people is that Suzuki, especially, is unlikely to be back. The contract projections—as, arguably, the best all-around outfielder in the free agent talent pool this offseason—would appear to be too steep for the Cubs’ tastes as they look to invest in much-needed pitching.

Suzuki’s contract projections

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Spotrac is projecting the Japanese star’s next contract at just under $110 million over four years. While that doesn’t look like an unreasonable contract, it would appear to be a very unattractive deal to cut for a 32-year-old, especially for Chicago, which has some talented outfield prospects moving up the farm system and closing in on the majors.

One team that might not balk at such an investment, though, is the New York Yankees.

As a matter of fact, Pat Ragazzo of Yankees Go Yard thinks that signing Suzuki could be last piece to a Yankees World Series puzzle:

“This type of deal would be a bargain for Suzuki. The Yankees just re-signed Cody Bellinger last offseason to a five-year, $162.5 million deal, but he was entering his age 31 season, as opposed to Suzuki, who will be 33 next August. For that, acquiring Suzuki on a short-term contract would be a steal for the Yankees…

He most certainly is a realistic fit for New York. The Yankees desperately need more right-handed pop beyond Aaron Judge, and they can’t count on DH Giancarlo Stanton anymore heading into the 2027 season. The Yankees could bring in Suzuki and move him to left field, bumping Bellinger over to center field.”

The Yankees, to pursue Suzuki?

Ragazzo says that the new Yankees offense could be “centered around Suzuki, Judge, Bellinger, Ben Rice and Luis Garcia Jr.” and that the reinforced offense, combined with the team’s top notch pitching, would make them immediate World Series contenders.

That’s a debate to be had on another day, but there’s no debating that, for the Cubs, the loss of Suzuki would be tough.

Last season, the right fielder batted .270 with 26 home runs and 86 RBIs. He also earned Gold Glove finalist status after a much-improved defensive year. In 2025, he hit 32 home runs and drove in 103 runs.

Suzuki came to the Cubs in 2022 on a 5-year, $85 million deal after playing his entire Japanese career with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp.

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Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-seiya-suzuki-free-agent-new-york-yankees-2027/