However, both Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki will reach free agency at the end of the year. It seems likely that the NL Central club will have the capacity and financial means to re-sign only one of the two fan favorites.

That’s especially true if Pete Crow-Armstrong signs a long-term extension at a significantly high average annual value. If that’s the case, who’s in and who’s out for the Cubs?

FanSided’s Zachary Rotman believes there’s a clear route they should take.

Cubs predicted to prioritize Happ over Suzuki

Making his Major League debut in 2017, Happ is the longest tenured player on the Cubs’ roster and a winner of four straight Gold Glove Awards in left field.

“They’re both 31 years old, but Happ is the more well-rounded player, making Suzuki the easier player to let walk on the open market,” Rotman wrote in February.

In 2025, Suzuki hit 32 home runs compared to Happ’s 23. The Japanese slugger also edged his teammate in SLG % and OPS, but Happ is a much better defender and a switch-hitter.

Suzuki is mostly limited to DH duties, which should only increase as he nears his mid-thirties.