Cubs agree to terms with outfielder Seiya Suzuki on a five-year Major League contract

MESA – The Chicago Cubs today agreed to terms with outfielder Seiya Suzuki on a five-year major league contract. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Suzuki, 27, batted .315 (937-for-2,976) with 182 doubles, 16 triples, 182 home runs and 562 RBI in 902 games spanning nine seasons with the Hiroshima Carp of the Japan Central League. He recorded a .414 on-base percentage with a .570 slugging mark, good for a .984 OPS, with 82 stolen bases and 486 walks. Suzuki is a five-time Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star, a five-time Central League Gold Glove Award winner and a six-time Best-Nine Award recipient.

Starting in 2016 with Hiroshima, Suzuki recorded six-consecutive seasons with at least 25 doubles, 25 home runs and a .300 batting average. He logged an on-base percentage above .400 in five of those campaigns and recorded an OPS over 1.000 four times. In three Central League seasons since 2019, Suzuki drew 262 walks with 242 strikeouts in 1,659 plate appearances.

The right-handed hitting Suzuki in 2021 earned his second Central League batting title in three years as he hit .317 (138-for-435) with 26 doubles, a career-high 38 home runs and 88 RBI in 132 games for Hiroshima, leading the league with a .433 on-base percentage that contributed to a 1.073 OPS.

Suzuki collected his first Central League batting title in 2019 with a .335 average (167-for-499) to go along with 31 doubles, 28 home runs, 87 RBI and 103 walks compared to 81 strikeouts. He led the league in on-base percentage (.453), OPS (1.018) and runs scored (112) while he also amassed a career-best 25 stolen bases.

The five-foot, 11-inch Suzuki played with Team Japan in the 2020 Summer Olympics, helping the club to a gold medal finish.

Suzuki was selected by Hiroshima in the second round of the 2012 NPB Draft.