Despite paltry production in 2014, three teams are reportedly interested in bringing 41-year-old outfielder Ichiro Suzuki aboard for the upcoming season.
Future Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki,41, who says he'd love to play until he's 50, has drawn interest from 3 clubs.He's 156 hits shy of 3,000.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 7, 2015
According to Rotoworld.com, the Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays and Miami Marlins are all investigating the possibility of adding Ichiro, who hit .284 in 385 at-bats with the New York Yankees last season.
Baltimore lost two big contributors from last year in the outfield, AL home run leader Nelson Cruz and right fielder Nick Markakis. The O's have been searching for additional help since the offseason began, but Ichiro doesn't seem like an ideal fit owing to his lack of power. He only hit one home run last year for the Yankees despite playing in an extremely hitter-friendly ballpark.
Toronto's outfield is set with Jose Bautista and Michael Saunders in the corner outfield spots with hot prospect Dalton Pompey expected to man center field. Ichiro would provide some depth in Toronto, like he did for the Yankees, which is a more suitable role for him at his age and based on his recent production.
The Marlins are also well-stocked in the outfield with MLB's richest man Giancarlo Stanton, and two up-and-comers in Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna. The Marlins are a young squad that could do with some veteran leadership however, so Ichiro would make a nice fit in a reserve role.
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