Cubs Offer Seiya Suzuki $23.15 Million Qualifying Deal
The Chicago Cubs extended outfielder Seiya Suzuki a one-year, $23.15 million qualifying offer on November 2. Suzuki has until November 17 to accept or decline as he weighs entering free agency.
Suzuki is among eight players to receive a qualifying offer, the one-year contract set at $23.15 million. He has until November 17 to decide whether to accept. The offer also gives the Cubs a chance to receive a compensatory draft selection if he signs elsewhere after declining it and entering free agency.
Players seldom take qualifying offers, and Suzuki is expected to explore the market. The Cubs offered one to pitcher Shota Imanaga last offseason, and he accepted a $22.05 million deal. Imanaga is eligible for free agency again, but Chicago did not make him an offer this time.
Suzuki had a .270 batting average, a .368 on-base percentage and a .473 slugging percentage last season, with 26 home runs and 96 runs batted in. His 5.8 Baseball-Reference wins above replacement ranked third on the Cubs; his FanGraphs figure was 4.5. He was also a finalist for the Gold Glove in right field after improving defensively.
A projection from Spotrac puts Suzuki’s potential contract at about four years and $109.9 million, or roughly $27.5 million per season. That would be a significant increase from the five-year, $85 million contract he signed with Chicago in 2022. The Toronto Blue Jays have been linked to him as a possible target.
The Cubs have spent heavily before, signing Alex Bregman to a five-year, $175 million contract last offseason. They must decide whether to make a substantial offer to retain Suzuki or direct spending toward pitching, an area the team struggled with during the 2026 season.