The Cubs have apparently solved the DH conflict with Seiya Suzuki that bubbled up in December.

Shortly before the Cubs traded for Kyle Tucker, Suzuki’s agent met with reporters at the MLB Winter Meetings and explained the slugger’s discontent over his role in Chicago.

Joel Wolfe mentioned the possibility of a trade and discussed Suzuki’s preference for playing the field – and not DHing full time.

Fast forward to Saturday at Cubs Convention and manager Craig Counsell said the team is preparing for Suzuki to serve as the regular DH in the lineup.

During Counsell’s panel with host Jon “Boog” Sciambi, a fan asked the Cubs manager what the plan is for the outfield alignment.

“Seiya’s gonna DH a lot,” Counsell said. “That’s what’s gonna happen. Kyle’s gonna play right field, Pete [Crow-Armstrong]’s gonna play center and Ian [Happ]’s gonna play a lot of left field. We feel like we have another outfielder in Seiya if something happens to one of those guys.

“But we’ve talked to Seiya this week about that and he understands that and he’s on board with that. And things happen during a season. If it doesn’t happen, it’s been a really good season and if Ian and Kyle are healthy all year and Seiya’s healthy all year, man, that’s a good offense, I can promise you.”

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During his first two-and-a-half years with the Cubs, Suzuki served as the team’s everyday right fielder. But last year with Crow-Armstrong taking on everyday duties in center field and Happ locking down left, the Cubs had a choice to make when both Suzuki and Cody Bellinger were healthy.

They opted to play Bellinger in right daily – at a position where he won a Gold Glove in 2019.

That meant Suzuki was relegated to DH duty, making 36 of his final 37 starts at the position from Aug. 16 on.

He performed well during that time (.326 AVG, .933 OPS) and overall throughout his career, Suzuki has seen a slight uptick in performance serving as the DH (.823 OPS) compared to playing right field (.816 OPS).

Even with Bellinger now in New York, Tucker is also a former Gold Glove winner in right field (2022) and Happ has taken home the last 3 Gold Gloves in left.

Crow-Armstrong has already displayed his elite defensive skills in center field and very well may win the accolade in 2025.

“He understands; he’s on board,” Counsell said of Suzuki. “He wants to play the field but he understands that right now, this is where the team kinda sits.”

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Suzuki, 30, has 2 years left on his deal with the Cubs. He has missed at least 24 games each season so far in the big leagues and has experienced some ups and downs in production at the plate.

Suzuki has the potential to be the best hitter in the Cubs lineup outside of Tucker and could form a dynamic trio in the heart of the order alongside Happ.

“The consistency of a lineup, I think a lot of times, is really important,” Cubs hitting coach Dustin Kelly said. “Good teams have obviously, really good players that play every day. If Seiya is DHing a lot, that means that everybody’s healthy. It means Kyle’s healthy, it means Pete’s healthy means, it means Ian’s healthy.

“So that’s the goal of it. We know that a big-league season doesn’t always work like that. Guys get hurt and guys need days off, so there’ll be some opportunities. But if he’s our DH for a majority of the games, he’s a really, really good hitter, so we’re excited about that part.”

Check out the entire coaches panel with Craig Counsell at the 2025 Cubs Convention.