Kyle Tucker is on the Chicago Cubs now, and that’s exciting for Cubs fans. It might also force their hand to make more moves.
With Tucker in right field, Pete Crow-Armstrong in center, and Ian Happ in left, the Cubs’ everyday outfield looks set. They’ve already since traded Cody Bellinger to the New York Yankees to shed his contract.
Seiya Suzuki, who has two years remaining on the five-year, $85 million deal, could theoretically be moved as well. The Japanese star had a career-best 138 OPS+ in 132 games this past season, but struggled defensively in the outfield.
Suzuki’s agent has publicly said the 30-year-old doesn’t want to take on a full-time designated hitter role, and it’s hard to see where else he fits in with the Cubs. That alone could sway Chicago’s thinking enough to manifest a trade.
On Thursday, FanSided’s Cody Williams proposed a trade that would send Suzuki to the Red Sox, with starting pitcher Kutter Crawford coming back to Chicago alongside an unnamed top prospect.
“Boston might be the one team — or at least one of the few — that could still sway Chicago to deal Suzuki after the Cody Bellinger and Kyle Tucker trades,” Williams wrote.
“Would it be outlandish to consider a package around a young highly-ranked prospect and Kutter Crawford? That would give Chicago another reliable back-end starter in the rotation in addition to young talent for the farm.”
Crawford, 28, led Major League Baseball in losses and home runs allowed in 2024, but he has good underlying metrics on his fastball. He led the Red Sox with 175 strikeouts this season, and getting out of Fenway Park could help him cut down on the longballs.
The Cubs would likely decide whether or not to pull the trigger based on the prospect the Red Sox were offering. If Boston was willing to eat most or all of Suzuki’s salary, that could also help convince Chicago to do the deal.
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