Inside The Phillies

Who Are The Favorites to Land Seiya Suzuki After the Lockout?

With all momentum being frozen for over a month, which teams are the favorites to land the Japanese phenom?

Declan Harris

Kyodo News/Sipa USA

When the offseason started four months ago, rumors regarding Japanese phenom Seiya Suzuki began circulating amongst MLB teams. When Suzuki was posted in late November, it finally wasn't a question of if he'd be coming to America, but where and with whom would he play.

The lockout hasn't helped answer those questions, but only further added speculation, so the question remains, who are the favorites to land Suzuki when the lockout ends?

Historically, Japanese players typically sign with teams on the West coast, and there are some rumors that support Suzuki continuing this trend.

In Dec. 2021, Suzuki met with Seattle Mariners President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto over Zoom, with the Mariners expressing serious interest. "He’s a great player. He's had a great career," Dipoto said. "And now that he's a free agent, it'll be interesting to see what he chooses. But yeah, I don't know what that'll be.”

Another team in the West who are considered serious contenders for Suzuki are the Texas Rangers, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi.

A large reason why the Rangers make sense for Suzuki is that Texas needs a stand-out player in the outfield to go along with their big offseason signings in Corey Seager and Marcus Semien.

Suzuki has also attracted the interest of multiple teams on the East coast with the biggest being the Boston Red Sox.

The Red Sox are considered to be another big suitor for Suzuki, perhaps even above the Rangers. Suzuki has engaged with the Red Sox in the past, following them on social media during his time in Japan to follow players like Xander Bogarts and formerly Mookie Betts.

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Some reports have gone far enough to say that the Red Sox are the favorites to land Suzuki after the lockout.

Boston makes sense for Suzuki for multiple reasons, the first being Bogaerts, a player Suzuki has admired, being signed with the Sox through 2026. This could be a bargaining chip or deciding factor for where he decides to sign.

Additionally, Boston could use another big player in the outfield. If Suzuki puts up the same numbers in MLB as he did in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), he would be a great replacement for current right fielder Alex Verdugo.

With all of this speculation out there, fans will have to wait for the lockout to end before Suzuki announces where he'll be playing next season.

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Declan Harris
DECLAN HARRIS

Declan Harris is a writer for FanNation's 'Inside the Phillies'.

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