The Chicago Cubs have two veteran regulars headed toward free agency after this season, and Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki are close enough in age and production that the choice is not simple. Happ was born Aug. 8, 1994, Suzuki on Aug. 18, 1994, and both will turn 32 later this year.
Happ has been the steadier player. Over the past four seasons, he has been a consistent 4 bWAR contributor, won Gold Gloves in each of those years and usually settled in around his career.790 OPS, with 22 to 23 home runs, a.340 on-base percentage and a batting average in the.240s. He has already hit four home runs this year; last season, he did not get to No. 4 until June 5.
Suzuki, though, just put together the biggest season of his major league career. He hit.245/.326/.478 in 2025 with 32 home runs and 103 RBI, both career highs, while also scoring 75 runs, adding 31 doubles and drawing 75 walks. He began that season mostly as a designated hitter, then played 48 games in the outfield after Kyle Tucker went down with injuries.
That is where the debate starts to sharpen. Happ is a respected clubhouse leader and a steady power-and-defense producer. Suzuki has shown little of the defensive form that helped him win NPB's Golden Glove Award five times, but his bat has looked more dangerous, and he could slide into a designated hitter role if needed. He is off to a.261/.393/.261 start this year, going 6-for-23 with five walks.
The Cubs have already made an early statement this spring by extending Pete Crow-Armstrong and Nico Hoerner. Happ and Suzuki are a different sort of decision: older, more expensive in spirit if not yet in contract terms, and central to whether the club wants to keep leaning on veterans or keep pushing its younger core. If the Cubs decide they want the safer all-around player, Happ is the answer. If they want the bigger bat, Suzuki has the edge.
