Cubs can't brush aside growing Seiya Suzuki trade rumors thanks to Jeff Passan

The Chicago Cubs have finally managed to start turning things around after their May swoon carried into the early days of June. They've put a little distance between themselves and .500 at this point and find themselves back in the thick of the NL Wild Card race despite the Brewers' fairly commanding lead in the NL Central. Between the team's still-decent record and high expectations heading into the season, the default assumption remains that the Cubs will buy at this summer's trade deadline.

Even so, the specter of a possible future as deadline sellers looms. For proof of that looming threat to the 2026 team's competitiveness, one need look no further than Jeff Passan's latest write-up of trade candidates ahead of the deadline. Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki lands within the top 20, and while Passan puts the odds of him actually being dealt at just 15 percent, that's still a whole lot higher than anyone with the team would've expected at the outset of this season.

Entering this weekend's series against Toronto, Suzuki has put on the exact sort of performance that has helped him establish himself as one of the better outfielders in the game today. His wRC+ (121), walk rate (10.8 percent), wOBA (.345), and on-base percentage (.349) are all more or less in line with his career norms since making the jump to MLB with the Cubs five years ago. While he's not slugging quite as much as in previous seasons (.179 ISO), Suzuki's begun to find his power stroke in June.

Overall, he'd be an extremely attractive trade target for outfield-needy teams. That's led to plenty of speculation about a possible trade, ranging from some ideas that could make sense to others that are downright laughable. Those conversations among fans and pundits haven't had much meat behind them in terms of solid rumors, but Passan's reporting has now changed that. The inside suggests that the Cubs are "at least listening" on Suzuki as they look to upgrade their pitching staff.

Seiya Suzuki's no-trade clause complicates putting together a deal

While it does seem that the rumors of Suzuki's availability have at least some legitimacy to them, that doesn't necessarily mean a deal should be expected. A little-discussed wrinkle in these rumors is Suzuki's no-trade clause, which would require him to give Jed Hoyer and the Cubs' front office the go-ahead before they could complete a deal sending him elsewhere. That's not always a huge obstacle, as the Mets found out when Brandon Nimmo agreed to join the Rangers this past winter.

It may not be so easy for the Cubs, however. At the 2024 Winter Meetings, Suzuki's agent suggested to reporters (including MLB.com's Jordan Bastian) that it was a "small universe" of teams that Suzuki would so much as consider being traded to. A lot can change in 18 months, so it's possible that the veteran outfielder is more open to moving now that he's just a few months from free agency, but fans should still remember that Suzuki can't be simply traded on a whim.

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