Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki drama may kill their chances with a key free agent target

Context is everything and the varying accounts of Wasserman agent Joel Wolfe's presser painted wildly contrasting pictures of the situation surrounding Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki.

Regardless of which account you read, there were two key takeaways. 1) the Cubs and Jed Hoyer are definitely listening on Suzuki and a trade, if nothing else, feels more possible than when these rumblings started last weekend. 2) Suzuki, heading into his fourth MLB season, wants no part of being a full-time DH moving forward.

“Seiya was a great defender in Japan, so it’s not a compliment to him being a DH,” Wolfe said. “I think that if he was being posted in Japan, and teams were presenting to him their opportunities, and they said, ‘You could come here and be our full-time DH,’ I don’t think he would have signed with that team.”

That's a very direct statement coming from the agent of the Cubs' best offensive player - and one that could complicate Hoyer's offseason plans. Manager Craig Counsell found great success using Suzuki as a DH late last season, but acknowledged on Tuesday that mid-December is far too early to start filling out a lineup card or locking guys into spots.

The Suzuki situation aside, this issue could quickly spill over into another offseason arena: the Cubs' expected pursuit of Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki, who was posted in recent days and has 45 days to sign with an MLB team.

Why? Because Wolfe also represents Sasaki - and this trouble over what role Suzuki was promised or will be expected to play in 2025 isn't the best look for the Cubs as an organization.

That's not to say it would preclude Hoyer from blowing Sasaki and Wolfe away with a pitch catered to the 23-year-old, but one of the Cubs' big selling points has been their ability to help guys like Suzuki and Shota Imanaga settle in and feel at home, both as a ballplayer and as a human being learning an entirely new culture.

We know Yu Darvish continues to gush over his experience as a Cub, so maybe that helps off-set any concerns that may arise from everything going on with Suzuki right now. Meetings between Sasaki, Wolfe and teams could begin as soon as next week - with a decision expected to come on or close to Jan. 15. Hopefully, the Cubs can sell him on the future of the franchise and what they have to offer - because he'd make a perfect addition to this team.