The long, at times conflicting, journey to Major League Baseball for Seiya Suzuki has ended with the highly sought-after outfielder settling in the Windy City.
Suzuki agreed to a five-year, $85 million contract with the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday, per Yuki Yamada of Sankei Sports.
NBC Sports Chicago’s David Kaplan confirmed that Suzuki agreed to a deal with the Cubs. A source also confirmed the report to ESPN.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported Wednesday, citing a source, that Suzuki will receive a full no-trade clause as part of the contract.
As MLB Trade Rumors’ Tim Dierkes notes, the Cubs also will need to pay a $14.625 million posting fee to Suzuki’s former Japanese team, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, bringing the total cost to $99.625 million.
Suzuki had been linked to a number of teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox. A report by Nikkan Sports on Tuesday claimed Suzuki had signed with the San Diego Padres, but this turned out to be untrue.
The 27-year-old outfielder was one of the premier all-around position players in Nippon Professional Baseball, winning three Gold Gloves while batting .315 for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. Past Carp players who successfully translated their skills to MLB include Hiroki Kuroda and Kenta Maeda.
