A locked-in Cubs outfield picture could tie one hand behind Jed Hoyer's back

Seiya Suzuki seems best suited for a DH role moving forward

Seiya Suzuki hasn't been an above-average or even adequate defensive outfielder since coming over from Japan, despite his five Golden Gloves during his NPB career. But 2024 set a new low-water mark for him, at -10.8 on Fangraphs' defensive value (Def) metric. The good news is he paired that subpar glovework with the best offensive year of his career, once again giving hope that he could be a dominant piece of the offensive puzzle moving forward.

Suzuki closed the year with a 138 wRC+, overcoming a career-worst 27.3 percent strikeout rate en route to a strong showing at the plate. Over the season's final five weeks, he solely appeared as the team's designated hitter and posted a .906 OPS in 29 games - while giving Craig Counsell a trio of Gold Glove-caliber outfielders patrolling Wrigley in Bellinger, Happ and Crow-Armstrong.

At least on paper, if Bellinger returns, Suzuki would slot into the DH role again in 2025. The problem with this is that it almost guarantees the Cubs running back the same lineup that went through a dramatic months-long slump this season. That would be a tough pill for the fanbase and a high-stakes roll of the dice for Hoyer, who is heading into the final year of his contract.