Cubs could burn Yankees with blockbuster AL East trade

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Cubs could burn Yankees with blockbuster AL East trade

Originally posted on ChiCitySports | By Matthew Schmidt | Last updated Jun 15, 2026 12:31 PM ET

The Chicago Cubs have been one of the worst teams in baseball over the last five weeks, which is wild to think about when you consider how strong their start to the season was.

The Cubs began the year 27-12 and put together a pair of 10-game winning streaks during that span, but since then, they have gone just 10-23, which has some wondering if they might actually sell before the MLB trade deadline.

Chicago is still smack dab in the middle of the National League playoff race, so right now, the Cubs probably aren’t in selling mode. But if things continue to unravel for the team as we inch closer and closer to the Aug. 3 trade deadline, general manager Jed Hoyer might have a change of heart.

In that scenario, Chicago would actually have several players that would certainly interest other ballclubs, such as outfielder Seiya Suzuki. Suzuki is slated to hit free agency at year’s end, which is why he makes sense as a trade candidate for the Cubs.

Nick Deeds of Cubbies Cribs recently posed a few trade proposals involving Suzuki, and one of them would burn the New York Yankees.

Chicago Cubs could hurt New York Yankees with Seiya Suzuki trade

May 15, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki (27) singles against the Chicago White Sox during the seventh inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Deeds pitched a potential deal in which the Chicago would send Suzuki to the Tampa Bay Rays, which would provide a big lift for a Rays squad battling the Yankees for AL East supremacy.

“In exchange for Suzuki’s services, the Cubs should pursue a pitching-focused trade package from the Rays’ stable of talented arms,” Deeds wrote. “Anderson Brito and Michael Forret are sixth- and eight-ranked prospects in the team’s system according to MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Rays prospects list. Brito is currently on the injured list, but both are described as possible mid-rotation starters, with Forret in particular not too far from the big leagues at this point.”

Tampa Bay has a few really good hitters in Junior Caminero, Jonathan Aranda and Yandy Diaz, but it absolutely lacks lineup depth, which is why Suzuki would be a good fit for the team in its hunt for an AL East title.

Meanwhile, Brito and Forret would help restock a Cubs farm system that is very short on pitching outside of Jaxon Wiggins.

Suzuki is slashing .255/.339/.433 with 10 home runs and 28 RBI over 236 plate appearances this season. He came over to the big leagues from Japan in 2022 and boasts a lifetime .814 OPS throughout his tenure in the Windy City.

Should Chicago make him available in the coming weeks, there would be no shortage of potential suitors.

This article first appeared on ChiCitySports and was syndicated with permission.

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