Padres lose out on another big-name free agent as frustrating spring continues

Padres lose out on Seiya Suzuki bidding war as frustrating spring continues

Between losing Nelson Cruz to the Washington Nationals and Fernando Tatis Jr. to the Injured List for an estimated three months, March isn’t shaping up to be the San Diego Padres’ month.

Just add Seiya Suzuki signing with the Chicago Cubs to the list of disappointing developments.

According to several Japanese news outlets and NBC Sports Chicago’s David Kaplan, Suzuki met with Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts on Monday and the two sides struck a deal for five years. Insider Ken Rosenthal later clarified that it’s five years, $85M, with a full no-trade clause. The posting fee to be paid to his team in Japan will be on top of the $85M.

The outfielder is considered the best player in Japan’s Nippon League, though that doesn’t make him a sure thing for the Cubs, as many players have a difficult time adjusting when coming to MLB from other leagues.

However, his numbers with his Nippon team, the Hiroshima Carp, were astounding. Since 2018, he hit .319/.435/.592 over 2,167 plate appearances.

Meanwhile, the Padres’ latest transactions are a slew of minor-league contracts and non-roster invites to Spring Training; they have not made a big-league move since the lockout ended last Thursday. Owner Peter Seidler claimed that the club is “well-positioned to finalize” the roster, but that feels less true than it did when he said it on March 10. The news that Mike Clevinger is healthy might be the only bright spot for the squad since the lockout ended last Thursday evening.

If the Suzuki news is true, it’s a puzzling pivot for the outfielder, who seemed set on signing with a coastal team, and had indicated a preference for the warm climates of Southern California. He even hung out with Padres pitcher Yu Darvish last week, and the photo Darvish tweeted whipped baseball fans into a frenzy.

It remains to be seen how or if the Padres will attempt to plug the gaping hole left by Tatis for the first few months of the season. He was the only Padre to hit more than 30 home runs in 2021 (he hit 42) and that kind of offensive production is crucial when looked at through the lens of their division rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and their own formidable lineup. It feels unlikely that any team is going to be willing to take on the remainder of Eric Hosmer’s enormous contract, which would give the Padres payroll flexibility.

All they can hope for now is that Freddie Freeman doesn’t sign in the NL West.

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