The Giants did not sign Seiya Suzuki

I come bearing good news: Seiya Suzuki, one of the most exciting players on the free agent market, did not sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers or the San Diego Padres.

I also come bearing bad news: Suzuki did not sign with the San Francisco Giants, either.

Suzuki instead chose to sign with the Chicago Cubs, agreeing to a five-year, $85 million deal with a full-no trade clause, which will put the Cubs spending at around $100 after the posting fee.

The Giants interest in Suzuki had been reported for a long time, and they were one of a handful of teams still in the running for the slugger. But unfortunately they couldn’t get it done.

It’s hard to project how good Suzuki will be, as he’s played his entire professional career in the NPB in Japan. But his numbers there have been spectacular — he’s had an OPS exceeding 1.000 in three of the last four seasons — and he has a lot of pop. But his most Giantsy tool was his plate discipline, as he drew 263 walks to just 243 strikeouts over the last three seasons.

So it’s not hard to see why the Giants were so interested, and you’re not wrong for being disappointed that he’ll be playing elsewhere.

It seems the Giants are still eager to add a big bat in free agency, and thankfully there are still a good number of unsigned players that would add some life to the Giants lineup. Michael Conforto is the name that’s circulating most on the rumor mill, and re-signing Kris Bryant is always an option. Nick Castellanos, Trevor Story, and Tommy Pham are also unsigned, as are Carlos Correa and Freddie Freeman if the Giants felt like shocking the world with a massive contract at an already-filled position.

I’m here for it.