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Ichiro Suzuki reportedly signs with Marlins

By Travis Honeycutt |

Multiple sources are reporting this afternoon that Ichiro Suzuki has agreed to a one-year contract with the Miami Marlins.

As expected, the deal will be worth somewhere around $2 million.

Suzuki, 41, batted .284 with a .664 OPS and 89 OPS+ in 385 plate appearances with the New York Yankees last season. He also stole 15 bags and smacked 13 doubles.

After spending the majority of his stateside career with the Seattle Mariners, Ichiro had been with the Yankees since midway through the 2012 season. The former American League MVP and 2001 Rookie of the Year is a career .317/.360/.411 hitter with 112 home runs to his credit.

Understandably, Suzuki’s numbers have tailed off in recent years and as a result he has seen slightly less playing time. For the Marlins in 2015, he will serve as the fourth outfielder behind the talented trio of Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna and Giancarlo Stanton. All four were worth a combined 16.8 fWAR last year.

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The Marlins were apparently considering a two-year deal, but that must have fallen through.

This signing gives Suzuki a chance to reach a couple milestones with the Marlins. He currently has 2,844 hits (2nd among active players) and 487 stolen bases in his MLB career. He should attain his 500th stolen base fairly easily this season, even if he only gets a couple hundred PA off the bench.

As for 3,000 hits, it’s unlikely he will achieve that mark this year in a part-time role. Suzuki turns 42 in October, and you’d have to think he returns for at least one more season to reach number 3,000.

Expect this to be the last big move the Marlins make before the season starts. The outfield and starting infield are set, with a superutility role and maybe a pinch hitter spot or two left to be decided in Spring Training. The Marlins project to have a very potent offense in 2015, and the addition of Ichiro Suzuki adds yet another weapon at the plate and on the base paths.

Should be fun.

Next: Marlins still in on James Shields?

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