Japanese outfielder Seiya Suzuki, who was submitted to Major League Baseball's "posting" system earlier this offseason by the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, will not sign with a new team until after the league's owner-imposed lockout is lifted. That hasn't stopped rumors from circulating concerning his likeliest destination.
Over the past week, both Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe and Peter Gammons of The Athletic have highlighted the San Francisco Giants and the Seattle Mariners as favorites to land Suzuki once the work stoppage ends. Here's what Abraham wrote:
Seiya Suzuki has yet to meet in person with any major league teams. But the star Japanese outfielder is planning to be in the United States soon so he can select a team once the lockout ends. Koji Uehara, now a television commentator in Japan, has advocated for the Red Sox. But within the industry the Giants and Mariners are seen as the leading contenders.
A different report, this one via Japan's Nikkan Sports, mentioned the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres in addition to the Giants and Mariners as potential finalists for Suzuki's services.
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That so many playoff hopefuls are chasing after Suzuki should not come as a surprise. He's been one of the most productive hitters in Nippon Professional Baseball during his nine-season career, amassing a .309/.402/.541 slash line to go with 189 home runs and 102 stolen bases. CBS Sports ranked him as the 15th-best free agent available this offseason back in November based on his track record and his well-rounded skill set.
Earlier this month, CBS Sports analyzed Suzuki's ball-tracking data and found that he shared similarities with Bryce Harper and Pete Alonso, among other successful big-league hitters. Here's a snippet:
That shouldn't come as a surprise based on what we've established about Suzuki: he hits the ball hard; he makes a good amount of contact; he seldom swings at balls; and he has an optimized launch angle. If you were building the ideal hitter from scratch, you'd make a point of including all of those qualities before you sent them to the dish.
Suzuki will be attempting to become the first NPB hitter outside of Shohei Ohtani to make a successful transition in some time. The recent failures of Shogo Akiyama and Yoshi Tsutsugo led CBS Sports to predict that Suzuki's contract will be less lucrative than it should be based purely on his talents.
