4 reasons the Cleveland Guardians should sign outfielder Seiya Suzuki

Star Japanese outfielder Seiya Suzuki is looking to make the jump to the majors, and the Cleveland Guardians should be the team to sign him.

The Cleveland Guardians are in desperate need of an outfield overhaul, which means they should absolutely consider getting in the mix to sign Japanese outfielder Seiya Suzuki, who has been posted by his team overseas, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp (fun fact: I have their hat – it rules) of Nippon Professional Baseball.

Is it a pipe dream? With so many teams in on him (the Red Sox, Giants, Mariners, Royals, Rays, Phillies, Rangers, Blue Jays… the list gets longer by the day), it seems to be an unlikely move for the Guardians, but Suzuki really would be a perfect fit for Cleveland’s lineup – and at a pretty attractive price.

The 27-year-old Suzuki, who was Japan’s 2019 Home Run Derby champion and a gold-medalist with Team Japan at this year’s Olympics, hit .319/.436/.640 with 38 home runs, 26, doubles, 88 RBIs and a 211 wRC+ this season. He’s also had a wRC+ over 160 in every season since 2016. Not to mention he’s a four-time Gold Glove winner and would be a perfect fit for right field, which just so happens to be a constant headache the Guardians are trying to solve.

So as the Guardians and the rest of Major League Baseball wait out this work stoppage, let’s make the case for Suzuki to come to Cleveland, if it isn’t already abundantly clear it should happen.

Here are four reasons the Guardians should consider signing Seiya Suzuki

1. It’ll be an affordable contract

By all accounts, Suzuki stands to get a contract somewhere around $55-60 million for five years. Though it’s risky to be tied to a five-year deal for a guy who has never played in the majors, Suzuki has an incredible pedigree in Japan that makes it worth rolling the dice, especially at around $10-12 million a year.

Any team signing Suzuki would also owe the Carp 20% of the contract’s first $25 million, 17.5% of the next $25 million, and 15% of anything after that, meaning a $55 million deal ultimately becomes a total of about $65 million to the signing team.

Still a really incredible deal!

3. It sets the tone for the Guardians era

Cleveland’s front office has made it clear that the team intends to spend money this offseason as it works its way up to a higher payroll over the next few years, assuming the team begins to make its mark as a potential contender.

While some of that money will likely go to retaining existing players (and extending guys like Ramirez or Franmil Reyes if we’re lucky), there is, uh, clearly plenty of room for the Guardians to look outside the organization. While there could very well be a trade on the horizon for this team after the lockout, the Guardians aren’t priced out of every free agent, despite what some people on social media might tell you.

A signing like Suzuki would go a long way to helping the Guardians change the public perception of the team and to get a considerable amount of buy-in from a cranky fan base that is now going to be even crankier after this work stoppage. If Cleveland really wants to turn the page as an organization and leave the past in the dust to some extent, this would be one big way to do it.

4. What do the Guardians really have to lose?

Even if Suzuki signs a five-year deal and doesn’t become an absolute force in the majors – even if he becomes a serviceable bat in the lineup and dependable in the outfield… what’s the problem here? That might be an oversimplification, but he’s young, talented, and fills a variety of glaring deficiencies on the Guardians.

It’s just all too clear that this is a move Cleveland should make.