The Chicago Cubs are within the midst of an offseason that’s designed to get them again to the Nationwide League playoffs for the primary time because the 2020 season. One of many large strikes they’ve made in the course of the offseason was buying and selling for slugging outfielder Kyle Tucker of the Houston Astros. That transfer is prone to have a huge effect on Seiya Suzuki and his skill to play within the subject for the Cubs.
Tucker is clearly an every-day participant who can affect any recreation together with his energy bat and his skill to cowl floor within the outfield. Suzuki’s worth to the Cubs is together with his bat. He has not been a plus defender within the outfield and that’s prone to flip him into a chosen hitter for the North Siders.
Cubs supervisor Craig Counsell was talking about his workforce to the followers and assembled media on the Cubs Conference. He was pretty direct on the workforce’s plans for Suzuki within the upcoming season.
“Seiya goes to DH loads,” Counsell stated. “That is what is going on to occur. Kyle (Tucker) goes to play proper subject, Pete (Crow-Armstrong) will play heart and Ian (Happ) will play left subject. That is the way it will go more often than not however issues occur within the season. We’ve got talked with Seiya about this plan and he’s on board with it.”
Cubs are hoping for extra offense in 2025
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The Cubs went into the 2024 season because the favorites to win the Nationwide League Central — partially as a result of they added Counsell as their supervisor — however they had been pressured to search for on the Milwaukee Brewers all through the season. The Cubs ended up tied for second place with the St. Louis Cardinals. They’d an 83-79 document they usually completed 10 video games behind the Brewers.
The Cubs had a number of areas of concern final yr, and clutch hitting was one in all them. They’re hoping Tucker can provide them fairly a little bit of pop in that space, however they will not have Cody Bellinger. He was traded to the Yankees within the offseason.
The 30-year-old Suzuki is coming into his fourth season with the Cubs, and he slashed .283/.366/.482 final season with 21 residence runs and 73 runs batted in. Counsell is hoping that Suzuki can minimize down on his strikeouts as he fanned 160 instances final season.
The 28-year-old Tucker has been an American League All-Star every of the final three seasons. He had his finest season in 2023 when he hammered 29 residence runs and drove in an AL-best 112 runs.