Cleveland Guardians: Giving up the Seiya Suzuki dream

YOKOHAMA, JAPAN – AUGUST 04: Seiya Suzuki #51 of Team Japan looks on before the game against Team Republic of Korea during the semifinals of men’s baseball on day twelve of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Yokohama Baseball Stadium on August 04, 2021 in Yokohama, Japan. (Photo by Koji Watanabe/Getty Images)

There are plenty of teams in the running for outfielder Seiya Suzuki’s services, but it just doesn’t seem like the Guardians are one of them (we realize this may not come as a shock to some of you).

This was always a pretty far-fetched dream, but outfielder Seiya Suzuki really would have been a perfect fit for the Cleveland Guardians.

Alas, it might be time to finally give up the idea that the Guardians will end up signing an outfielder who hit .319/.436/.640 with 38 home runs, 26, doubles, 88 RBIs and a 211 wRC+ this past season, and has maintained a wRC+ over 160 in every season since 2016 to boot.

It’s not that the Guardians couldn’t sign Suzuki, but right now, it looks as though a few other teams have started to emerge as the frontrunners. That includes the Giants and Mariners, along with the Padres, Cubs, and possibly even Marlins.

All that being said, Suzuki hasn’t even been able to come to the United States to meet with teams in person yet due to the lockout; he and his agent have conducted virtual interviews with at least eight organizations, however. So when the lockout ends and Suzuki has 21 days left in his 30-day posting window, he won’t be starting totally from scratch – though the race will certainly be on to sign the slugging Japanese superstar.

There hasn’t been any indication that the Guardians have been one of those teams talking to Suzuki, though anything is possible. And Cleveland really should be one of the teams trying to talk to Suzuki, considering the Guardians could be signing an impact bat for somewhere around $55-$65 million over five years.

Either way, it’s just not likely to happen, which means it’s time to turn our attention back to the outfield trade market, which includes the likes of Bryan Reynolds, Jesse Winker, Cedric Mullins, Austin Meadows, and more.

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