The Chicago Cubs traded for right fielder Kyle Tucker to be a force in the middle of their batting order.

He’s providing a trickle-down effect to the rest of the team – and might be forming a potent 1-2 punch at the top of the Cubs’ lineup.

Seiya Suzuki had a two-homer game in the series finale in West Sacramento on Wednesday against the Athletics, his second straight game with a long ball. The duo are a combined 23-for-77 (.299) this season with a 1.090 OPS, eight home runs, 22 RBI and 17 runs – a welcome sight for Cubs fans.

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“With him and Tucker going at the same time, it lets everyone relax in their spots in the lineup,” Cubs right-handed pitcher Jameson Taillon told reporters in West Sacramento after Wednesday’s 10-2 win over the A’s. “They can carry a lineup by themselves and then you have everyone else doing their job, working counts and getting on base, it’s gonna be tough for pitchers.”

Tucker’s achievements are well-known. But Suzuki is no slouch offensively, either. Suzuki was a top-20 hitter across 2023 and 2024 by weighted runs created plus (wRC+) – 133, 33 percentage points above league average. The issue for Suzuki has been his extreme peaks and valleys and his ability to stay on the field.

Suzuki ranks above stars like José Ramírez and Francisco Lindor in wRC+ but played over 40 fewer games in that span than them. He’s also gone through weeks-long or months-long stretches where he looks like one of the best hitters in baseball and then followed it up with spans where he really struggles.

In May last year, for example, Suzuki played in 18 games after returning from a right oblique strain and posted a .219/.275/.329 (.604) slash line with 2 home runs and 16 strikeouts. Suzuki then slashed .329/.457/.471 (.928) in September 2024.

The Cubs would hope that adding Tucker can provide some protection and reduce those valleys. He has enough talent to be that type of player. Wednesday, he hit a three-run home run on the first pitch he saw in his second at-bat and then a leadoff, opposite-field homer in the fourth inning.

“He has the power to hit home runs everywhere and that’s what’s fun to see,” manager Craig Counsell told reporters after the game. “I think [if] it’s kinda raw power, Seiya’s probably number one on the team. Just getting the ball in the air wherever is a good thing for Seiya.”

That could have a trickle-down effect on the rest of the lineup and Tucker and Suzuki starting the season hot has the Cubs tantalizing about what the offense can be.

“It’s gonna be a deep lineup,” Taillon said. “I think I saw something last year: Seiya hit eight of our 10 farthest home runs. Like he’s got that ability. Just cool to see him get going.”