Before the Chicago Cubs traded Cody Bellinger to the New York Yankees, there was a real worry that the team was considering moving Seiya Suzuki, who was not initially happy with being bumped to full-time DH duties once the Cubs acquired Kyle Tucker via trade. Thankfully, Jed Hoyer and the Cubs front office thought otherwise, and Suzuki's production in 2025 has paid dividends for a team currently 12 games above .500.
Overshadowed by Pete Crow-Armstrong's breakout campaign and persistent rumors regarding whether or not the Cubs will be able to secure Tucker long-term, Suzuki himself has been a big reason the team has been able to stay head and shoulders above everybody else in the NL Central. Suzuki currently leads MLB in RBI with 49, with teammate Crow-Armstrong behind him at 48.
Suzuki is also tied for the team lead in home runs with 14, which is good for 4th in the NL. So far this season, DH duties are the perfect fit for him. It feels like Suzuki is more injury-prone than in reality, as he has appeared in 138 and 132 games in the past two seasons. Still, the Cubs' lineup takes a massive hit when he isn't playing, and limiting potential injuries has been key to this team's success thus far.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot,our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Looking at Suzuki's future with the Cubs
Suzuki is in the third year of his five-year, $85 million deal with Chicago. After next season, he will hit the free agent market, and given the Cubs' outlook in the outfield, it may be tricky to re-sign him. If Tucker walks, keeping Suzuki for another couple of seasons makes sense. If the Cubs are able to keep Tucker long-term, given they also have Crow-Armstrong, the team will have more questions than answers regarding both Suzuki and Ian Happ.
Happ will also be entering a contract year next season, and the Cubs currently have two top-100 outfield prospects, Kevin Alcantara and Owen Caissie, who deserve playing time at the highest level. The team has already shown they prefer Suzuki at DH, so they would be unlikely to extend or re-sign him to do anything else. Given his offensive prowess, Suzuki may prefer playing in the outfield and could get paid more elsewhere. For now, he is an everyday player, and he's mashing. The Cubs will enjoy this ride and figure out the rest when the time comes.