Ichiro Suzuki, Miami Marlins reportedly agree to deal
The Miami Marlins have reportedly signed 2001 American League MVP Ichiro Suzuki to a one-year deal, according to Sirius XM’s Craig Mish.
Hearing Ichiro Suzuki and @Marlins have agreed to terms.
— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) January 23, 2015
Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal has reported the deal is in the $2 million range.
The 41-year-old Japanese icon will be the Marlins’ fourth outfielder in 2015. He is currently second among all active players with 2,844 hits, just 156 shy of 3,000.
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He has not been an everyday player over the last three seasons since being traded to the New York Yankees during the 2012 season, though he has not played less than 143 games over that time. He is hardly the on-base machine he once was with the Seattle Mariners, but he still managed to post a .283/.324/.340 line in 385 plate appearances last season.
Ichiro’s experience will be of much value alongside the Marlins’ young group of players, and he should get plenty of opportunities to step to the plate and push toward the 3,000-hit mark.
It would likely take him two seasons, but should he be able to achieve that feat, he could be the last to do so for quite some time (Alex Rodriguez should pass 3,000 hits this year if he can remain healthy). The only active player within sight and a lot of time left in the Majors is Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera, who is 31 years old and currently sits at 2,186 hits.
It’s hardly a question Ichiro will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when all is said and done. He has attained well over 4,000 hits in his professional career between Japan and the US, but it’s obvious at this point collecting that 3,000th hit is very important to him.