Phillies Could Poach Cubs Star in MLB Free Agency

The Philadelphia Phillies will absolutely be in search of outfield help this offseason, and the good news is there will be some intriguing ones available.

The Chicago Cubs themselves will have two key outfielders hitting the open market in Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki, and for a Phillies team that badly needs lineup depth, pursuing the latter could represent an enticing option.

Suzuki is slashing .271/.363/.481 with 22 home runs and 75 RBI over 507 plate appearances this season. He owns a career-high 12 percent walk rate, and while strikeouts (25.4 percent) will always be a part of Suzuki's game, you learn to live with it.

Last year, Suzuki slashed .245/.326/.478 with 32 homers and 103 RBI, batting .309 with a .991 OPS with runners in scoring position. Lord knows the Phillies could use that.

A lifetime .269/.349/.474 hitter since coming over to the U.S. from Japan in 2022, Suzuki has also somehow turned into a tremendous defender, owning a plus-10 DRS and plus-5 OAA in right field this season.

Currently, Philadelphia has Bryce Harper manning right, but it would definitely prefer to move him back to first base.

That's where Suzuki comes into play.

Yes, Suzuki is already 32 years old, which may be a bit of a deterrent to a Phillies squad that would probably prefer to get younger. But considering Philadelphia is perpetually in win-now mode, inking Suzuki to a multi-year contract with opt outs may not be the worst idea.

Let's face it: the Phillies need bats, especially with Trea Turner's rapid decline. They acquired Luis Arraez at the MLB trade deadline, and that has helped, but they could still use another big bopper in their order.

The trick will be somehow managing to re-sign Arraez while also adding an outfield bat like Suzuki, which will obviously be difficult financially.

But if Philadelphia really wants to contend with the Los Angeles Dodgers and other rising clubs, it's something Dave Dombrowski will have to finagle.

The Cubs will almost certainly try to retain Suzuki themselves, but after handing Alex Bregman a five-year, $175 million contract, Chicago may have some trouble there.

The Phillies could step in and make things even more challenging for the Cubs by making Suzuki an offer he can't refuse.

We'll see if Philadelphia ends up pursuing Suzuki this winter.