Seiya Suzuki may be the key to final Chicago Cubs roster spot battle

It's no secret the final spot on the Chicago Cubs' 26-man roster is likely being decided between third baseman Gage Workman and utility man Vidal Bruján.

Adding an extra layer to the decision is whoever doesn't make the Opening Day, the Cubs would risk losing them. Workman is subject to the Rule 5 draft requirements, this means that if he does not make the Opening Day roster, the Cubs would need to send him back to the Detroit Tigers. Bruján. meanwhile, is out of minor-league options.

What would make things easier for the Cubs would be a potential trade with the Tigers where they acquire the full rights to Workman. Under that scenario, being that Workman has yet to make his Major League debut, he would have all three of his minor-league options.

For now, however, the assumption is one of Workman or Bruján won't be with th team beyond spring training.

Conventional wisdom would point to Bruján earning the final spot. Beyond the fact that Bruján can play every position on the field outside of catcher, it would seem unlikely that the Cubs would be willing to give up on him before Opening Day, considering they gave up Matt Mervis in the trade with the Miami Marlins. However, Craig Counsell's recent lineup choices for Cactus League play may suggest that he is looking for a way to keep Workman on the roster over Bruján. Mind you, currently, Bruján would be the primary backup to Pete Crow-Armstrong in center field. However, Counsell has has Seiya Suzuki play in center field and left field in consecutive

Seiya Suzuki may play a factor in key Cubs roster battle

If the Cubs were going to keep Workman over Bruján, one of the key questions of the roster would be who would play center field. In a broad sense, yes, Suzuki should be able to hold the position on days when Crow-Armstrong isn't in the lineup. But, for a Cubs' team built to win on the margins, depending on Suzuki in center field of all spots feels like an unnecessary risk, no matter how few innings he actually plays there. And, if we're being honest, an infielder who has yet to play beyond the Double-A level shouldn't warrant that type of roster gymnastics.

However, those are exactly the type of gymnastics the Cubs may have to endure to keep Workman. Despite the circumstances under which he joined the organization, Workman has thrived. If nothing else, this has impressed Counsell.

“That’s led to really good performance and just really letting Gage Workman kind of shine,” Counsell told reporters. “That’s a left-handed bat with some power, good plate discipline and a good defender. He has shown all three of those things, which is hard to do in a really small sample.”

If pressed for a guess, I would still lean toward Bruján given the Major League experience and positional versatility. But if we continue to see Suzuki get starts in center field during Cactus League, that may shift the momentum toward Workman.