MESA, Ariz. — Early Friday morning Seiya Suzuki was transparent.

The Cubs had a logjam of outfielders last year with Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Cody Bellinger garnering the playing time there late last year and relegating him to DH duties. This offseason, the Cubs traded for All-Star Kyle Tucker and shipped away Cody Bellinger to the Yankees and Counsell said Suzuki would again DH.

[MORE: How Seiya Suzuki is adjusting to DH role with Cubs]

“Yeah, I can’t share too much of what the conversation was between Counsell and I, but I feel like last year we could have had better communication,” Suzuki said through interpreter Edwin Stanberry when asked about being a primary DH. “So going into this year, I feel like we’re improving upon that and then communicate better during the season.”

Later in the afternoon, Counsell took the blame for it. Counsell had never managed a Japanese player before and was a bit complacent in how he dealt with Suzuki.

“We both talked about it kind of at the end of the year, I’ll put it on myself, just doing a better job with talking to him,” Counsell said on Friday afternoon at Sloan Park. “Sometimes the language barrier makes you lazy, unfortunately, and that’s on me, and I gotta get a little better at that and will. That’s something that I promised Seiya and will work hard to do.”

[WATCH: Seiya Suzuki’s media session from spring training]

Counsell said they’re on a better page this year already and are in a good place with his role for 2025.

“We’ve discussed [DHing] a bunch, too, and we’re in a good place there,” Counsell said.

This spring, Suzuki will still play in the field, primarily playing in the corner outfield spots and getting work there.

A bad trade?

In his first season in Chicago, Counsell wore no. 30. When the team acquired Tucker in December, though, he figured he had to give it up. Tucker, after all, was going to be the team’s star and wore that number in Houston. So Counsell gave him 30 and switched to no. 11 to honor Jim Leyland.

“I talked to him about it after I came over here just about the number thing, and he was more than happy to let me have it, which was really cool,” Tucker said. “So I’m very appreciative for that.”

[‘Get to the World Series and win’: Cubs set lofty goals at onset of camp]

Usually, in those situations, both parties work out a trade. Counsell, though, didn’t land anything in return.

“I didn’t bargain very well,” Counsell admitted.

But that doesn’t mean there won’t be a return from the new Cubs’ right fielder.

“I don’t know him that well,” Tucker admitted. “But I kind of wanted to, at least, get to be around him for a little bit and kind of figure out what he likes and what he doesn’t like and stuff.

“So, I’ll figure out something. Maybe when we get back to Chicago.”

Defense on display

On the first day of full-squad workouts, defense was one of the first things the Cubs’ position players worked on. The team took ground balls on Field 1 and the half field behind the agility field at the Nike Performance Center.

Afterwards, hitters took batting practice and there was live batting practice sessions on the backfields. Porter Hodge and non-roster invitees Brandon Hughes, Phil Bickford and Ben Heller all threw.