Seiya Suzuki's remarkable first half affirms Jed Hoyer's plan when he took over as Cubs president

"Mike Trout, I love you."

When Seiya Suzuki and his #27 Cubs jersey were introduced to the media in March 2022, there were more questions than answers surrounding the direction of the team.

Suzuki was a star in Japan. He started his professional career at 18 years old and took off in his age 21 season. He was a 5-time All-Star, 5-time Gold Glove winner, .985 OPS hitter, and walked almost as many times as he struck out (486 BB to 569 K).

His last season on the Hiroshima Toyo Carp was incredible: 38 HR, 88 BB to 89 K, 1.069 OPS. He was ready for his next challenge, and finding stardom in the United States was the dream.

Did the Cubs just sign their Mike Trout?

Lockout and Wait

The Cubs told Seiya Suzuki and his agent, Joel Wolfe, that they would wait for him.

As the December 2nd, 2021 lockout date approached, teams were told Suzuki would not sign until after the lockout ends. So the Cubs, along with 10+ other teams, hung in the balance.

Cubs fans across the world were frozen in time as well. What was this team doing?

Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, and the rest of the World Series core were shipped out of town at the 2021 trade deadline. Yu Darvish and Kyle Schwarber were cast off before the 2021 season in an effort to save a few bucks. We knew the 2020 division title wasn't a stamp guaranteeing future success, but it felt like the resurrection of a broken, talented team.

After a 71-91 season, a gutted roster, and a boosted farm system, it looked like the Cubs were heading into another 2012-esque rebuild. They refused to spend money, and they needed to right the wrongs of the previous 5 years by accumulating young players again.

And then they gave $71M to Marcus Stroman. Over three years.

As Stroman put it, "I think they definitely want to win now". Did they??

A 3 year contention window only would have been possible if they spent buckets of money and found a couple superstars almost immediately. As we all know, they were still talking about “biblical losses”. Huge investments were not about to magically appear.

Instead, Jed Hoyer was taking a compete-while-rebuilding path. Stroman would help boost the floor for the first few seasons, but Suzuki ended up being the first new foundational piece with a long-term contract.

Once the lockout ended, the Cubs landed Suzuki on a 5-year deal. It was all thanks to Yu Darvish’s praise for the organization, a trip to Wrigley Field, Nick Madrigal’s art skills, and some convincing conversations about becoming a winning team.

As the core played games in their new homes, the Cubs reinvested some of the money those players turned down into new players. It seemed baffling. You don’t rip apart the roster just to throw on a band-aid for the next season. Maybe you have to take a shot at an elite, two-way player from overseas no matter where you’re at in your team building timeline, but it just didn’t make a ton of sense.

Jed said it very plainly at the time: “We signed Seiya to a 5-year contract because we believe he'll play a significant role in that success now and that success in the future.”

One eye on the present and one eye on the future. As they always say.

They believed they found their right fielder for the next real contender.

Adjust and Adapt

The future was here.

Rookie of the Year campaigns started as soon as the 2022 season kicked off. Suzuki finished March/April with a .934 OPS and 4 HR in his first taste of MLB action. As the team’s season derailed, injuries derailed Suzuki’s momentum. A month long finger sprain and other various ailments limited him to 111 games.

Everyone talked about how he fit so well with the team, how much promise he showed, and how moving to the States and playing in the big leagues was a major adjustment. It was going to take time. That was fair.

On a team that gave 1,222 at-bats to Alfonso Rivas, Nick Madrigal, Franmil Reyes, Rafael Ortega, and Frank Schwindel, Suzuki was legitimately a bright spot.

With a whole offseason ahead of him, a big sophomore season approached.

Heading into 2023, Jed kept the same plan. Dansby Swanson, Jameson Taillon, and Cody Bellinger all came to Chicago that winter. Clearly, they didn’t want to solely focus on prospects. This team was supposed to win and win soon. Happ was re-signed as Jed continued to put his trust in two-way players and maintain a solid position player group.

With higher expectations for a more respectable roster, that “normal” offseason for Suzuki turned out to be a dud. He injured his oblique and essentially missed Spring Training. Another bump in the road in a challenging transition.

When healthy, he had a very underrated season and formed a dangerous outfield with Happ and Belli, combining for 11.6 bWAR and 67 HRs. He did find himself on the bench in spots against righties as David Ross played hot hands to try to make the playoffs.

Following the late season collapse, the Cubs were content with under the radar moves. Hoerner was extended, they traded for Michael Busch who had less than a year of major league ball under his belt, and they signed another player from Japan in Shota Imanaga.

Just as the 2024 Cubs replicated their 2023 win total with 83, Suzuki’s season was nearly identical:

Unfortunately, as his bat exploded starting in June, his confidence in the field wavered. The dropped fly ball in Atlanta to cost the 2023 team a key win down the stretch was the memorable mistake, but one too many routine plays got away from him. The two-way star from Japan was relegated to a DH role late in the season as Pete Crow-Armstrong manned center field and Belli moved over to right.

Reports stated he was not happy with having his glove ripped away. The Cubs also announced in July that his interpreter, Toy Matsushita, was being dismissed. They wanted to communicate better with Suzuki so he could have the most impactful coaching and training.

With changes being thrown at him left and right, did Suzuki become just an after-thought in the rebuild? Was the DH role worth it for a big-contract player? Could the Cubs improve their communication methods with Suzuki?

As questions arose about Suzuki’s future with the Cubs, ONLY questions were had about the state of the team. The high-priced manager didn’t win them any extra games, there were no true sluggers, they played fundamentally shaky baseball, and most of the prospects acquired since mid-2021 were still sitting in the minors.

Competing while rebuilding was not working, and the front office and ownership were losing credibility QUICKLY. If their plan wasn’t working, why would anyone believe it would change?

This past offseason was going to determine the course of the Cubs. Suzuki’s name popped up in trade rumors. More big name free agents landed elsewhere. And the Cubs’ big move ended up being…finding their next right fielder?

The Plan Comes To Fruition

Right field is Kyle Tucker’s home.

Not in the same way as Sammy Sosa when he sprinted out to meet his fans every day.

Not in the same way as Cody Bellinger when he redeemed the poor outfield play in 2024.

Tucker was a superstar, and he deserved a permanent spot.

Utilizing a minor league player like Cam Smith to finally acquire an elite player is proof enough that there is now more compete than there is rebuild.

After years and years of dreaming of slug, Jed talking about how desperately the team needed to hit homers, and a 2024 season where they severely lacked an elite presence in the lineup, the answer showed up as King Tuck. And Suzuki accepted his role as the full-time DH.

With Tucker hitting 2nd every day, this 2025 Cubs lineup has performed at historic levels.

5 players have an OPS above .850. 7 players have 10+ HRs. They’re 2nd in MLB in runs scored with 492.

The blend of extended Cubs (Happ, Hoerner), prospects (PCA, Shaw, Amaya), trade acquisitions (Tucker, Busch), and free agent signings (Suzuki, Swanson) has been even more harmonious than Happ’s best cup of coffee. The team building route that began in 2022 seemed questionable at best, but it now looks extremely effective.

I am still holding out hope that Tucker re-signs, and if so, the Cubs will have most of their position player group locked up long-term. This is built to last. Threading the needle with two goals didn’t work out so well for a few seasons, but the vision has come to fruition.

Suzuki’s Sosa-like 1st half is a great symbol of Jed’s success.

Even though he ridiculously won’t be on the All-Star team, he has a stat line of 25 HR and 77 RBI that nobody can match. He has an .880 OPS. His Statcast page is filled with red, and he’s in the 90th+ percentile in xSLG, Barrel %, and more. All of the missed ball/strike calls he has endured in his career can’t bring him down.

He’s a true, certified slugger. The home run hitting threat who dreamt of playing in the United States is officially dominating the league.

Suzuki has always been easy to cheer for. Since the day he arrived, he’s been hilarious, easy-going, and a supportive teammate. His facial expressions are second to none, and his quad pictures always blow up the Twittersphere.

I’m beaming as I watch Suzuki play baseball this season. This is who he always was, but it has finally all come together. He’s Ian Happ’s best friend and one half of the Bash Bros with PCA.

He was signed for 5 years to be a part of the next great Cubs team. Well, here we are. And he’s leading the charge.

Maybe he isn’t Mike Trout, but he’s a star.