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The story
Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki has become a free agent after his five-year contract expired. Speaking to local reporters, he expressed fondness for the five years he spent in Chicago, but said that when choosing his next team, the top priority is finding “a place where my family can live safely” — revealing concerns particular to a player with young kids. The news set off a 5ch thread buzzing with speculation about where he might sign next, including debates over the safety of specific cities like Chicago and Philadelphia, hopes that he’d join the Dodgers, and disagreements over how to rate his defense.
Suzuki, whose five-year contract has now expired, looked back: “It’s been five years of learning a lot, I’d say. Coming to America for the first time, the first year was really tough. But I’ve really gotten here because of support from my teammates and so many other people. There’s no way I could have done it alone.” Reflecting on the city he called home for five years, he said, “Having been here five years, I’ve grown attached to it — I really think it’s a great city. Of course my family has settled in too, and we really love Chicago. I don’t know if I’ll be leaving or not, it’s hard to say, but I have so many memories here.” Asked what he’d prioritize in choosing his next team, he said, “Somewhere my family can live with peace of mind would be best. I have kids too, and I think that kind of anxiety in your personal life is what hurts your baseball the most, so that’s something I want to weigh heavily in making my decision” — putting his family’s safety as the top priority above all else.
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Read the original article here
What people said
My late grandpa's vacant house in Asakita Ward is just sitting there — I'll rent it to him.
Even if Kozono, Sakakura, Morishita, and Tokoda's salaries come off the books, that still won't be enough money.
He'll be one of the top names on the market this year.
The issue is there's a lockout risk looming though.
Chicago's seriously no good — he said he even warned Murakami to stay away from it.
Hiroshima can scrape together 50 million Hiroshima-dollars.
That's only 5 million then.
LAD ruthlessly cuts guys loose once they're down to their final contract year.
After saying something like that, there's no way he picks a city with zombies wandering the streets. (reference to Philly's Kensington Ave drug crisis)
Seiya was born in Tokyo and he's a Giants fan.
The Orix Buffaloes. (his old NPB team)
A hitter who can put up an .850 OPS over a full season is in demand anywhere.
Reminder: this IS his prime.
His defense really is good. Wrigley's outfield is such a nightmare to play that I bet his numbers get even better somewhere else.
Honestly he probably wants one last shot playing alongside Ohtani and the gang, so this reads like a pitch to the Dodgers.
Every city has its sketchy parts. It's just Kensington Avenue that's rough in Philly — the rest of the city is normal. LA's got sketchy areas too.
LA actually has safe neighborhoods though — Philly doesn't.
Fuji TV: "!!!" (reference to the network's past leak of Ohtani's house)
Hurry up and come to Tokyo already.
Kikuchi's wife and Suzuki's wife seem like they'd get along, and Darvish's wife is close with them too, so it'd work out perfectly.
If you're just living a normal life there, it's not dangerous at all. Besides, by Japanese standards pretty much anywhere gets called dangerous.
Background and talking points
Seiya Suzuki signed a five-year deal with the Cubs in the 2022 offseason, and that contract has now expired, making him a free agent. What stood out in his press conference was that, ahead of stats or contract size, he named “somewhere my family can live safely” as his criterion for choosing a new team — and the thread largely revolved around city-by-city safety debates sparked by that comment. While Philadelphia and Detroit were singled out and avoided, posters pushed back on Los Angeles and Chicago, arguing it “depends on the neighborhood” — a point that holds up reasonably well against actual crime statistics, given that U.S. cities can’t be painted with one broad brush. It’s worth noting that mentions of him as a “Gold Glove candidate,” along with defensive ratings and specific hitting metrics, are all individual posters’ personal assessments within the thread, separate from the official postseason awards announced after the season ends. As of the press conference, no front-runner destination had been determined, and the thread’s reactions remain purely speculative.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Nanimo Jikkyo G) thread “Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki becomes a free agent after contract expires — top priority for next team: “somewhere my family can feel safe”.”
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