The Chicago Cubs are floundering but still alive in the hunt for a National League playoff spot.
So before things get out of hand for the Northsiders, The Athetic’s Ken Rosenthal suggested the Cubs assess the trade market for outfielder Seiya Suzuki ahead of the MLB trade deadline Aug. 3.
Suzuki is in the final year of a five-year contract, and the Cubs entered play Thursday eight games back of the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central standings.
Suzuki is off to a solid start, slashing .247/.333/.409 with nine home runs, 22 RBIs and 29 runs scored in 54 games, while primarily playing right field.
Ken Rosenthal: The Cubs Should Explore Seiya Suzuki’s Trade Market
GettySeiya Suzuki is one of five pending free agents on the Cubs roster in 2026.
The Cubs have been perhaps the most schizophrenic team in the majors this year. They were 15 games over .500 on May 8, and in first place in the NL Central less than a month ago, before going 7-22 over their past 29 games.
Still, Chicago sits just 1.5 games out of the final NL playoff spot. So with Suzuki both a pending free agent and unlikely to be retained, Rosenthal explained why Jed Hoyer would be best suited finding a trade partner.
“The Cubs drew trade interest in Suzuki last offseason, in part, because so few right-handed hitters were available,” Rosenthal wrote in The Athletic on Thursday. “Suzuki, who turns 32 in August, is not likely to be part of the teamâs future. So, it would behoove the Cubs to explore the market for him.
The Cubs could use a jolt. They need to extract value from at least one of their potential free agents, and in a sport increasingly lacking in potent right-handed hitters, Suzuki figures to be in demand.”
The Cubs haven’t been able to call up No. 3 prospect and right-handed starter Jaxon Wiggins due to his struggles in Triple-A Iowa (0-0, 5.63 ERA in eight innings). Chicago could use pitching reinforcements, especially since it ranks 28th in the majors in starters’ ERA (4.87) and 25th in fWAR (2.4).
“Perhaps Suzuki could bring back a starting pitcher who also is a potential free agent, helping the club fill a more dire need,” Rosenthal wrote. “If the Cubs keep Suzuki and he departs as a free agent, they would receive only a draft pick as compensation, assuming they made him a qualifying offer.
“A trade could yield considerably more value, particularly if the Cubs included cash to pay down part of Suzukiâs remaining salary, which at the deadline will be less than $6 million.”
One Factor Could Derail a Cubs-Seiya Suzuki Trade
GettySeiya Suzuki right-handedness is of value in the trade market.
Trading Suzuki sounds so simple, especially for a club like the Cubs who are flush with cash and as Rosenthal points out, only committed to $111 million in contracts for 2027.
But Suzuki has a no-trade clause, which could throw a wrench into a potential deal — especially with the MLB collective-bargaining agreement set to expire Dec. 1.
Still, Rosenthal does not expect Suzuki’s clause to be that big of a deal.
“He likely would be inclined to approve a deal, ensuring he could not receive a qualifying offer as a player traded in the middle of a season,” Rosenthal wrote. “Yes, the system is likely to remain intact for at least one more year; teams make qualifying offers in November and the CBA does not expire until Dec. 1.”
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