The Toughest Contract Decision Facing the Cubs This Winter

"Looking back at the 5 years, I don't know if I was able to reach the expectations that people had (for me) or for myself," he told reporters via his interpreter, Edwin Stanberry.  “My family, they love Chicago,” he continued. “With free agency, that’s something new for me. There’s a lot of processes involved with that. I’m not sure what’s going to happen.”

Suzuki went 2-for-7 and scored the Cubs’ lone run in their very short playoff stint. He was one of just four Cubs even to log a hit in the wild-card series. 

Still, Suzuki, who has been critical of himself to the media throughout his time as a Cub, left what could have been his final media appearance with the team with a few overarching questions. 

Did he meet those expectations? Did he exceed them? Was it enough for the Cubs to do everything to bring him back this winter? 

Suzuki signed a five-year, $85 million deal with Chicago ahead of the 2022 season. He was a five-time All-Star with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and hit .315 with 182 home runs across nine seasons in his home country. In his injury-shortened first year with the Cubs, he hit .262 with a .770 OPS, 14 home runs and 46 RBI. 

Sure, those numbers may have been underwhelming, but Suzuki really came into his own after his rookie year. He put up a career .823 OPS across five seasons with 113 home runs -- the third-most for a Cub in his first five seasons after only Kris Bryant (138) and Ernie Banks (136). 

The 32-year-old may not have captured any individual hardware (he very much should have been an All-Star in 2025), but he cemented himself as one of the league’s most consistent sluggers. He hit 32 home runs in 2025 and 26 this season. He posted the third-best fWAR on the Cubs and the 19th-best in MLB at 4.6. 

In short, Suzuki is a top-20 hitter in the league, and that profile is sure to attract suitors as soon as he hits free agency. Per The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma, it’s “unlikely that the Cubs will get into a bidding war for Suzuki’s services, let alone win one.” 

That’s because the Cubs have a much bigger hole to fill in both their starting rotation and bullpen. They will certainly need to make a big splash on a front-line starter or a closer in the offseason, and they enter 2027 as No. 10 in the league in total payroll.

But is it really worth letting a hitter of Suzuki’s caliber walk, particularly when there aren’t any viable replacements waiting in the wings? And do they really not have the money to spend on both pitching and offensive needs (that’s a rhetorical question)?

The Cubs could stick Matt Shaw in right next season, but it goes without saying that the offensive production in their lineup would drop massively. Michael Conforto and Tyrone Taylor are also set to become free agents and there’s no guarantee that either will be back — nor that either can produce at that level consistently. 

The Cubs also have future stars who can play a corner outfield position in both No. 1 prospect Josiah Hartshorn and No. 3 prospect Ethan Conrad, but neither is expected to reach MLB before 2028.

The free-agent market in the outfield is thin outside of Suzuki. He’s the biggest name by far and will certainly be the most sought-after by any team in the same position as the Cubs.

Chicago’s front office has an incredibly crucial decision to make.