At yesterday’s Cubs conference in Chicago, manager Craig Counsell spoke to the crowd (video link) about the club’s outdoor mix and shed some light on the Cubs’ outdoor plans for the year. As Counsel puts it, Ian Happ again Pete Crow-Armstrong will remain entrenched as the team’s regular players in left field and center field respectively, while off-season acquisitions Kyle Tucker he will take over as a regular defender.
That’s generally agreed to be the Cubs’ best defensive strategy as things stand and has seemed the most likely outcome since the Cubs acquired Tucker last month. That being said, one side effect of making Tucker a regular right fielder is the right tackle. Seiya Suzuki will be pushed to DH regularly this year. That’s true, Meluleki agreed, noting that Suzuki will have “a lot” of DH this season.
“We talked to Seiya this week about that, and he understands that, and he goes along with that,” Counsell said, then noted that they view Suzuki as an “outfielder” who can fill in for Happ and Tucker in the event of an injury.
Still, it’s worth noting that the Cubs appear committed to Suzuki as the starting DH in 2025. Suzuki’s agent, Joel Wolfe of Wasserman, spoke to reporters during the Winter Meetings last month about Suzuki and made it clear that his client wants to play this field. Wolfe even suggested that Suzuki probably “wouldn’t sign with a team” that put their everyday DH on him in free agency. That comment helped fuel trade rumors surrounding Suzuki throughout December, and as they began to die down after the club was sold. Cody Bellinger for the Yankees his name continued to pop up from time to time in the rumor mill.
Counsel’s comments yesterday seemed to put the discussion to rest, indicating that the club and Suzuki have resolved any disagreements between the parties on this matter. Since Tucker won the only track-and-field Glove award Mookie Betts again Aaron is the judge In Defensive Runs Retained as a right fielder since his MLB debut in 2018, Suzuki is perhaps more willing to move away from his natural position by being humble to himself than Bellinger, who was an average defender in right field (+0 Fielding Run Value, +1 DRS) last year.
Even if Suzuki, Tucker, Crow-Armstrong, and Happ will be regulars for the club in 2025, there seems to be a need for at least one capable player on the roster. While Suzuki could switch to corner if Happ or Tucker need a day off or go on the injured list, there is no clear backup for Crow-Armstrong on the team’s roster after the Cubs went non-tendered. Mike Tauchman back in November. Happ has more experience in middle than the team’s other regulars, but he hasn’t pitched a single inning there in the past two years and last played regularly at the position back in 2020.
Alexander Canary again Kevin Alcantara both are on the club’s 40-man roster and can play center field, though Canario has been used mostly in the corners so far in his big league career and the Cubs may choose to avoid using a top prospect like Alcántara on the bench. the role. If the club is looking for an outside option who can play in the middle of the field in a reported search for more bench depth, Michael A. Taylor again Kevin Pillar are among the bench center players still available in free agency.
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