Seiya Suzuki is answering an important Chicago Cubs' offseason question

Flexibility is not on the Chicago Cubs' side this offseason as the team looks to provide stability to an offense that broke during large portions of the 2024 season.

The Cubs do have some good offensive players in place. Ian Happ has become a cornerstone in the starting lineup and Pete Crow-Armstrong's second half should have everyone excited for a what a full-season could produce in 2025.

Happ and Crow-Armstrong are a large part of the reason why there aren't many openings within the Cubs' starting lineup this offseason. Happ has a no-trade clause in his contract and there shouldn't be any calls for the team to move their starting left fielder, considering his career-high marks in home runs and RBI in 2024. Crow-Armstrong will be the starting center fielder next season and if Cody Bellinger doesn't exercise his opt-out clause after the season, he will be the starting right fielder.

In the infield, there aren't any openings considering Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner each have multiple years remaining on their contracts with the Cubs. Isaac Paredes and Michael Busch also have multiple seasons of team control before they reach free agency.

The Cubs need an impact bat this winter and the speculation is that the addition would be made at designated hitter given the other spots on the roster that are already locked up. Well, the Cubs may already have an internal solution.

Since Crow-Armstrong became a fixture as the team's starting center fielder, Seiya Suzuki has become the permanent designated hitter for the Cubs. It's a role that Suzuki has thrived in.

Seiya Suzuki may have answered the Cubs' designated hitter question.

We've been down this road before. Last year, Suzuki was one of the hottest hitters in Major League Baseball during the closing weeks of the season before injuries slowed his offensive start this season.

But, there is something to Suzuki being healthy and having a defined role as the team's designated hitter. A 159 wRC+ is exactly the type of bat that the Cubs need to add this offseason. Perhaps, Suzuki no longer focusing on his defensive miscues has allowed him to focus more on his offensive approach and keep it refined. Considering the questions of a possible pursuit of Pete Alonso and a likely unwillingness to match Juan Soto's asking price, the Cubs will need to consider if their best path at designated hitter is Suzuki.