In search for consistency, Chicago Cubs make a major change with Seiya Suzuki

Over the course of the past year, it seems that the Chicago Cubs, as an organization, have been trying to get on the same page with Seiya Suzuki.

Suzuki inked a five-year deal with the Cubs prior to the 2022 season with the thinking of the organization being that not only was the team adding a cornerstone bat to their starting lineup but also a Gold Glove outfielder.

While Suzuki has had stretches where he certainly validated the Cubs' initial thought of him being an impact bat, there have been struggles with consistency. Between Suzuki's conditioning habits, swing patterns, and defensive miscues, the Japanese outfielder has yet to put it all together since transitioning to Major League Baseball.

That is likely the reason why the Cubs made the change that they did on Thursday. On Thursday, as first reported by Patrick Mooney of The Athletic (Subscription Required), it was revealed that the Cubs are making a change with Suzuki's interpreter. Toy Matsushita will no longer serve as Suzuki's translator as the responsibility will now fall with Edwin Stanberry, Shota Imanaga's translator, and Nao Masamoto.

Given the events that occurred earlier this season between Los Angeles Dodgers' superstar Shohei Ohtani and his former translator, Ippei Mizuhara, there has been an added level of attention on the role of translators this season. However, Mooney's report made it clear that there was no criminal activity happening in the Cubs' case.

Cubs are hoping Seiya Suzuki develops a better connection with the team.

Instead, this seems to be a case of the Cubs putting their best foot forward in improving Suzuki's connection with the team. The biggest example of why Suzuki's connection with the team needs to be better is the repeated miscues in the outfield. Between misplaying routine fly balls or communication issues when making an attempt to field the ball, Suzuki's play in the outfield has left much to be desired.

Whether with Stanberry or Masamoto, the Cubs appear to be hoping that Suzuki becomes a more focal point in his connection with the team. In the case of Imanaga, he has quickly developed relationships with the Cubs on his own accord while also embracing the Cubs' culture. That's not to say that Suzuki hasn't made that effort but it's one that could be better and could go a long way to the outfielder having a more consistent approach for a full season.