Seiya Suzuki stepped into the batter’s box Friday at Sloan Park for his first swings with the Chicago Cubs and made it look effortless.
Hours after the star Japanese outfielder was officially introduced, Suzuki joined his new teammates for workouts. Sure, it was only batting practice. But it was impossible to ignore how the ball jumped off Suzuki’s bat, flying to all parts of the field. By the time Suzuki finished BP, at least 10 baseballs had landed over the fence. The raw talent, smooth swing and easy power is obvious, even within the simplicity of batting practice.
The Cubs signed Suzuki to a five-year, $85 million contract, banking on his short- and long-term fit. With an already compressed spring schedule, the Cubs expect it will take about a week to get a sense of Suzuki’s readiness for the start of the season. But the organization didn’t pursue Suzuki for an April 7 opening-day win.
This is about the potential stardom and Suzuki’s best years aligning with the franchise’s timeline in building the next title contender.
“We did a five-year deal for a reason. This is an investment in him and his future,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “If there are some growing pains or some assimilation challenges, that’s fine with us because we believe that once he gets used to it, we’re really excited about what we’ll get. We will have to be a little bit patient.”
The organization waited 99 days for the lockout to end to present its case to Suzuki for why he should pick the Cubs. What followed over a five-day stretch last week landed the Cubs their star target, giving Suzuki the biggest contract for a Japanese position player in baseball history.
The buildup
Nearly 3 1/2 months of silence.
Once the lockout went into effect at 11:01 p.m. CT on Dec. 1, communication ceased between Suzuki’s camp and the 12 interested teams, including the Cubs. In the lead-up to the freeze, Suzuki squeezed in eight Zoom calls, doing two a day. Each team had about an hour to present its case to Suzuki. A few teams tried to get him to sign right before the lockout despite Suzuki’s side making clear that would not be happening. They did not want to rush the process. He needed more time. The Cubs respected that choice and did not push.
The Cubs already had been on Suzuki’s radar from him watching Major League Baseball. Then their Zoom meeting left an impression. They just had to hope Suzuki’s interest remained after the lockout.
“When it dragged out, we didn’t know, OK, will we get a meeting or not on the other side of (the lockout)?” Hoyer said. “You just never knew, like, he could have gone to see one team or two teams, and so we had to know that that preparation could be for naught.”
They redoubled their efforts during the months of down time. The Cubs did their research, creating documents and videos to have ready for a potential post-lockout pitch to Suzuki. Meghan Jones, assistant director of baseball operations, administration and strategic initiatives, and the Cubs production team spent hundreds of hours on video work and graphic designs.
By the time MLB lifted the lockout March 10, Suzuki settled on a hierarchy for his team preferences. This deviated from a typical free-agent approach that normally centers on the parameters of the contract. However, Suzuki and his agent were unsure what teams planned to do in free agency after the lockout.
At 10 p.m. the night the lockout was implemented, Hoyer called agent Joel Wolfe with a reminder: “Don’t forget about us. We’ll be waiting for you on the other side.”
As soon as baseball returned, Wolfe heard from the Cubs. That included team representatives showing up around UCLA’s campus, where Suzuki had been working out. The Cubs’ intentions were immediate and obvious. They ultimately secured what they wanted — an in-person meeting with Suzuki.
“Once we knew we had the meeting on Monday night,” Hoyer said, “It was like, OK, let’s do this.”
Cubs make their pitch
Forget a sterile boardroom.
Wolfe wanted a more casual environment for Suzuki’s meeting with the Cubs. He believed the setting would make Suzuki feel more comfortable. So, Bar Hayama in Los Angeles became the site of the Cubs’ pitch to the Japanese star.
The Cubs brought five people to the meeting: Chairman Tom Ricketts, Hoyer, manager David Ross, hitting coach Greg Brown and major-league video coordinator/Pacific Rim liason Nao Masamoto.
“Coming out of the lockout, I would not say that the feeling between players and agents toward MLB and ownership was the warmest that’s ever been,” Wolfe said. “But Mr. Ricketts was extremely impressive.”
Wolfe lauded Ricketts’ low-key and down-to-earth vibe. Ricketts assured Suzuki that the Cubs “would do anything to make sure that he could succeed on the field,” according to Wolfe.
“I think we convinced the Cubs by having such a great environment and great food and letting them see a more personal side of Seiya,” Wolfe said. “They really connected.”
Ross, in particular, resonated with Suzuki.
“Everybody that was there was trying to be themselves and make him understand that he was a priority and what a fit we thought he was for our group,” Ross said. “We got him laughing a lot, really good conversations. What really stood out to me is how he takes care of his body, how he prepares. He’s just a baseball rat ... (who) works extremely hard.”
One question the Cubs were prepared to address in the meeting: the weather in Chicago. Suzuki asked about it during their pre-lockout Zoom call. And when the question came up again at Bar Hayama, the Cubs brought out charts. They highlighted the great weather from May through August and showed Suzuki how temperatures compared between Chicago and Hiroshima, where he played in the Nippon Professional Baseball league. Then the Cubs provided a chart comparing Chicago and San Diego.
“They had an idea of other teams that were interested, and Seiya really appreciate that,” Wolfe said.
Cubs second baseman Nick Madrigal also tried to assuage Suzuki’s cold-weather concerns. Madrigal is also represented by Wolfe and the Wasserman agency, so his agent informed him of the Cubs’ impending meeting with Suzuki. Madrigal put his art skills to the test, writing signs on a notebook to encourage Suzuki to pick the Cubs. One read: “Seiya Suzuki + Cubs = World Series.” Madrigal had pictures taken of himself with the signs and texted the photos to Wolfe so he could pass the image to Suzuki. Madrigal’s handmade signs now reside in Suzuki’s clubhouse locker.
Madrigal joked that he needs a raise after helping lobby Suzuki to join the Cubs.
“I’ve always tried to draw the best pics I can, but my family makes fun of me for my stick figures — I think it gets the job done,” Madrigal said with a smile.
Eventually, Hoyer and Wolfe convened in a corner of the restaurant, and Hoyer made what Wolfe called “a very strong offer.” Wolfe took Suzuki outside and informed him of the numbers, at which point Suzuki authorized his agent to make the Cubs a counteroffer and cancel all meetings with other teams.
“Everything was good with what they presented to me, and it really took my heart away,” Suzuki said.
Wolfe acknowledged the 27-year-old possibly could have gotten more money elsewhere.
”But I wanted to do what was best for him and not what was best for me,” Wolfe said. “And at the end, he told me, ‘Get it done. This is where I want to come.’ ”
There is always some risk a team is bidding against itself for a player.
“That’s where you have to be comfortable with what your evaluation is, right?” Hoyer said. “We had a sense of what was the appropriate price and obviously we stayed within that.”
The Cubs told Suzuki they would weigh his counteroffer on the flight back to Arizona. An exhausted Suzuki went to bed while Wolfe waited for the call. When the Cubs landed, Suzuki’s team received word that the sides were in agreement. The deal got done around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday.
“It became clear to me that what was most important to Seiya was not getting the biggest contract, it was being in the place that he felt he was going to be the most comfortable,” Wolfe said. “And by comfortable meaning that everything off the field in his life would be settled so (his wife) Airi and himself would have no issues about living conditions and he could just focus on baseball.”
A secret trip to Chicago
Suzuki had one caveat before officially signing. He wanted a visit to ensure his new city and ballpark were indeed the right fit.
“Obviously we’re coming to a different country so we have to get acclimated to a different lifestyle,” Suzuki said. “That is one of my biggest worries.”
Suzuki traveled with Yoshi Sawai, his manager in Japan, and interpreter Toy Matsushita on Tuesday and spent the night. Hoyer set them up with a reservation at a Japanese restaurant while Masamoto was in charge of giving Suzuki a tour of Wrigley. The group returned Wednesday night, Suzuki underwent his physical Thursday and signed the contract that night.
“I’m really glad now that he decided to go because I can only imagine what it’d be like to go to play baseball in a different country,” Hoyer said. “I think his head’s going to be spinning and will be for a while. At least now he’s been a Wrigley, he’s been in Chicago recently. That’s going to help. You’re not landing the plane on April 5 having no idea what you’re about to see other than from pictures.”
Suzuki becomes the sixth Japanese-born player to wear the Cubbie blue, joining Yu Darvish, Munenori Kawasaki, Kyuji Fujikawa, So Taguchi and Kosuke Fukudome.
During the process, Suzuki talked with three Japanese big-leaguers who made the transition from their home country to MLB. Cincinnati Reds outfield Shogo Akiyama, Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Yoshi Tsutsugo and Darvish gave Suzuki a sense of Chicago and the lifestyle in the States.
While his Padres were in the thick of trying to convince Suzuki to come to San Diego, Darvish played a role behind-the-scenes in the outfielder signing with his former team.
The Yu Darvish factor
When the lockout abruptly ended March 10, plans were already in place for Suzuki to travel to San Diego and stay near Darvish.
“Darvish made a huge difference in the way Seiya viewed the baseball world,” Wolfe said.
Wasserman had set up a workout site for a few Padres pitchers at a nearby high school. Suzuki was going to join and take live batting practice. But with baseball back and spring training imminent, Darvish needed to get to Arizona for camp. He told Suzuki to meet him in San Diego on March 11 before he departed the next day. They spent two hours together, an invaluable opportunity for Suzuki to gain insight into Darvish’s experiences and what might await him. Despite some tough times in his first season with the Cubs, Darvish spoke positively of the organization.
“He told me the city was great, they have a really great fan base and that I’m going to love it here,” Suzuki said.
Darvish’s perspective extends beyond his three seasons with the Cubs. He and those who have worked within his orbit also experienced Texas, Los Angeles, Arizona and San Diego during his 10 years in the majors. They were able to provide Suzuki a fuller picture beyond Chicago.
“(Darvish’s) message was, ‘I would love to have you on my team. As a teammate, I want you in right field, it’d be great to have another Japanese player. It’d be better for you to have a Japanese player on the team. But I want what’s best for you,’ ” Wolfe said.
What comes next?
The Cubs have no timetable for when Suzuki will make his Cactus League debut.
Ross wants him to continue getting his feet wet in live BP and work on tracking the baseball after going so long without seeing live pitching. With an already compressed spring schedule, the Cubs expect it will take until early this week to get a sense of Suzuki’s readiness for the start of the season. When he does play, expect to see Suzuki in right field. Hoyer confirmed they have talked with Jason Heyward about the plans. It would shift Heyward to center field.
Hoyer said the organization spent a lot of time researching Suzuki’s hitting profile, including his swing and any available data. Hoyer pointed to Suzuki’s elite exit velocities.
“Obviously pitching over here, the velocity is much firmer and the breaking balls are sharper,” Hoyer said. “Looking at his swing-and-miss rates and looking at what he did in different areas of the zone, we felt like it translated really well, certainly felt like the power will translate.
“Swinging at balls, that’s probably going to expand a little bit as the (pitchers’) stuff gets bigger, but we felt like that gave us comfort that he will make that transition.”
The Cubs are expecting Suzuki to deal with on-field adversity. The velocity jump Suzuki will see from pitchers will challenge him and require adjustments.
“He’s going to deal with aspects of assimilation that we probably can’t imagine,” Hoyer said. “But that’s going to pass, and we really believe once he gets used to major-league pitching and once he gets used to playing over here, he’s really going to flourish.
“We all have to be patient that the nature of that transition and the nature of this spring, maybe that’ll be more difficult than some years.”
There were moments Friday, in a packed media room at the Nike Performance Center, when Suzuki’s personality broke through his nervousness and excitement. Suzuki had practiced a few English phrases at dinner the night before to help loosen him up before he took center stage.
Donning his new blue-pinstriped jersey, Suzuki was asked why he chose to wear No. 27.
Leaning toward the microphone, his eyes locked on a TV camera to his left, Suzuki replied in English: “Mike Trout, I love you.”
