The Giants and Dodgers really did not need anything else to get mixed into their historic rivalry. But it appears as if they may be competing for the services of Japanese outfielder Seiya Suzuki. The Dodgers have already been linked to players such as first baseman Freddie Freeman, while the Giants signed LHP Carlos Rodon on Friday. But these are two teams hungry to win and they have aspirations of remaining as active as possible on the free agent market.
Suzuki may be the best player you have never heard of. He has enjoyed an illustrious career playing Japanese professional baseball and is coming off of a season that saw him smash 38 home runs to go along with an impressive .317/.433/.636 line. He also does not strike out a whole lot and is no stranger to taking quite a few walks. Suzuki features a strong throwing arm which would profile well in San Francisco given their large ballpark.
He is in the prime of his career and should command somewhere around a four-year contract in the range of $40-$60 million.
San Francisco would seemingly have the bigger need for Suzuki since the Dodgers already have an elite offense. But Los Angeles has always displayed a willingness to continue adding even when their roster appears to be at max capacity.
Other teams reportedly interested in the outfielder include the Red Sox, Cubs and Mariners. But the Dodgers and Giants stand out as potential landing destinations for Suzuki. This could end up boding well for him since Los Angeles and San Francisco could drive up Suzuki's salary since they are competing against one another.
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