The Chicago Cubs are almost certain to lose Kyle Tucker in free agency this offseason. Since the Cubs’ front office has made it clear that they don’t intend to come close to offering Tucker the $400 million or so it’s expected to take to sign him, he’ll be playing elsewhere unless he decides to take a gigantic pay cut to keep playing at Wrigley Field.

That isn’t going to happen.

The good news is that the Cubs still have a deep and talented outfield that includes Ian Happ in left field, Pete Crow-Armstrong in center, and Seiya Suzuki in right. Even with Tucker gone, that’s still one of the most well-rounded outfields in baseball. Not to mention that top prospect Owen Caissie is knocking on the door to the big leagues and has a very good chance of making Chicago’s big league roster by Opening Day 2026.

However, there’s a good case to be made that the Cubs’ roster would be better off if they were willing to part ways with Suzuki via trade this winter.

Why Cubs Should Consider Trading Seiya Suzuki

On the surface, it might seem absurd to suggest that a contending team should try to trade a guy who just hit .245 with an .804 OPS, 32 home runs, and 103 RBIs across the regular season, and who is still 31 years old.

But Suzuki is owed $19 million in 2026 and is expected to be a free agent next winter. The Cubs have Caissie coming up, are surely going to want to keep Pete Crow-Armstrong around, and have Ian Happ also slated to become a free agent after next season.

It’s hard to imagine the team will re-sign both Happ (who is also making $19 million next season) and Suzuki, which means they’d be wise to consider shopping one now to see what they could get in return.

One would imagine that the Cubs could get at least one solid starting pitcher and one bullpen piece or a good prospect in return for Suzuki if they traded him right now. This would also open up space for Caissie in the outfield and free up Chicago to spend money elsewhere that they might have had to use on the bullpen.

Ultimately, Chicago dealing Suzuki away right now doesn’t seem likely, if only because it might make their team worse in 2026. But there’s also a world where they regret not at least shopping him if (and when) he leaves in free agency one year from now.

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