What happens when a team wants to trade a player who has no trade clause? That’s exactly what the Chicago Cubs are facing right now with Seiya Suzuki. Suzuki‘s agent, Joel Wolfe, spoke to the media, where he confirmed rumors of talking to the Cubs president about a trade. While there is no trade clause in Seiya’s contract, his agent says that he has an open mind. 

The Chicago Cubs are looking to upgrade their offense, and maybe a trade is the answer. Seiya is a good option; the team is focusing on another trade now, and that is Cody Bellinger. But getting both Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki in the same season? That seems highly unlikely, given Seiya’s opinion towards a position change. According to Wolfe, there are only a handful of teams that Suzuki would be okay with: “Seiya is a very strongly opinionated guy. I could see where that might happen, but it doesn’t sound like it was necessarily likely.” 

The Japanese professional baseball outfielder just performed his best offensive season, but he struggled defensively. Seiya Suzuki was the Cubs’ designated hitter in 36 of his final 37 games, and now, while there’s quite a lot of interest in Suzuki among many teams, most want him to change positions—they want him to give up on fielding all together and just play as a DH.

But Seiya Suzuki does not want this move, and that could make things difficult for the Cubs to trade him and lower their costs. His agent remarked on the whole situation: “I think that if he was being posted in Japan and teams were presenting to them their opportunities and they said you could come here and be our full-time DH, I don’t think he would have signed with that team.” If Seiya Suzuki does not agree, the Cubs will have to find other options to lower their costs—so, what now?

The Chicago Cubs are considering trading Cody Bellinger as one option

Although that move by itself doesn’t help them, it gives them financial and roster flexibility to come up with original ideas for roster improvements. The market for Bellinger is still growing. The New York Yankees, who passed over Soto, are seen as a landing place. Hoyer was reluctant to imply that the Cubs would be making any major trades in the coming days. 

According to The Athletic, the squad wouldn’t be shocked if Bellinger was traded this week. The Cubs were a little surprised when Bellinger chose to sign his $27.5 million contract for 2025, which includes a $25 million 2026 player option or a $5 million buyout in 2026. Following a successful comeback in 2023, Bellinger had a respectable, although unimpressive, season; so, what kind of return do the Chicago Cubs expect from Bellinger?

We don’t know, and neither does Chicago. However, they could pitch the 29-year-old to any team in need of first base or outfield support. Cody’s stifled offense at Wrigley Field might be portrayed as more of a one-time event than a regression to his bad run of play prior to joining the Cubs. The Bellinger trade has been talked about so much that people think it will happen. The Cubs‘ next course of action is uncertain, but it is acknowledged that free agency isn’t the way to improve the offense.