Every couple of years, a foreign player takes Major League Baseball player by storm and becomes an instant sensation in the U.S. Shohei Ohtani and Fernando Tatis Jr are two of the most recent examples of that trend.
Now, scouts are enamored by Seiya Suzuki’s talents, as the Japanese star has drawn comparisons to former greats of the game like Hideki Matsui. While not a two-way player like Ohtani, he’s been deemed the next big thing to come out of Asia.
Needless to say, plenty of teams have already expressed their interest in signing the Japanese slugger once the lockout is lifted. Here, we’re going to talk only about those who could actually need his services for next season.
MLB Rumors: Best Fits For Seiya Suzuki
4. Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers made more noise than any other team in the Majors during the brief offseason. They committed nearly half a billion dollars to get one of the best middle infields in the league and fight with the Houston Astros for the top of the division.
But we’re still talking about a team that lost 102 games last season and Corey Seager and Marcus Semien aren’t enough to just turn that around. They need to add more pitching and fix their outfield defense, thus making Suzuki an obvious fit.
3. Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox didn’t waste time to bolster their rotation with the additions of Michael Wacha and Rich Hill but GM Chaim Bloom has vowed to make a couple of moves once free agency resumes.
They brought back Jackie Bradley Jr but lostHunter Renfroe’s timely hitting, so there’s a bit of a gap in the RF that Suzuki could easily fill. He’s got superstar potential and the Red Sox want to build for the future, and they could ease him into action.
2. San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres aren’t strangers to Asian stars and the word around the league is that they’ve been doing their due diligence on Suzuki for years now. They need something to finally get over the hump and he might be just what the doctor ordered.
Albeit the Padres have a somewhat solid outfield, that’s also the weakest link of their explosive offense. They have enough depth to make up for him while he gets used to MLB’s velocity and could be even more of a contender if he turns out to be as good as advertised.
1. San Francisco Giants
And last but not least, we find the San Francisco Giants, a team that was dealt a massive blow with the loss of Kevin Gausman and that could lose even more of its core in free agency. Also, the contender that craves outfield help more than any other team in the league.
The Giants weren’t expected to be as good as they were last season, yet they wound up winning a franchise-record 107 games. The Giants need a right-handed outfielder that can hit for average and power, and Suzuki checks all those boxes.