The Chicago Cubs have a plethora of talented outfielders on their roster. Of course, none of them are more exciting than 23-year-old Pete Crow-Armstrong. Last season, PCA became one of the youngest players in MLB history to post a 30 home run-30 stolen base season, hitting 32 long balls and swiping 35 bags.
Fortunately for the Cubs, PCA is still under club control for a long time. However, 2027 will be the beginning of his arbitration years, and Chicago will undoubtedly have to start paying him a high salary very soon.
And while they are going to be more than willing to give their brightest young star a raise, they are going to have to compensate for it by making some subtractions to their roster.
Chicago Cubs predicted to part ways with Seiya Suzuki after 2026
With PCA on the precipice of making significant money in arbitration and beyond, Zachary Rotman of Fansided believes that 2026 will the the last year for Seiya Suzuki in Chicago:
“The Cubs are in an interesting spot with two of their three starting outfielders, Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki, hitting free agency after the year. While ideally both would be in Chicago for a while longer, re-signing both Happ and Suzuki while also paying Crow-Armstrong would be more costly than the Cubs would likely be comfortable with.
“If the Cubs can only re-sign one of them, Happ should be prioritized. Sure, he’s not quite the hitter Suzuki is, but Happ isn’t much worse offensively, and he’s won four straight Gold Gloves out in left field. He has also spent all nine of his big league seasons with the Cubs, and given his desire to stay long-term, he might be open to a team-friendly deal.”
The fact of the matter, too, is that Suzuki has not exactly lived up to expectations since signing a five-year $85 million contract with the Cubs. Last year was the first time he hit over 30 home runs and drove in over 100 runs.
If he takes a step back at all in 2026, it will almost surely make Chicago’s decision an easy one when it comes to letting him go.
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