Did Seiya Suzuki hint he’s spurning Yankees for their biggest rival?

If you asked us to construct the New York Yankees‘ outfield picture for 2022, it would include a healthier dose of Joey Gallo in center to allow the team to add more pop in left field/across the diamond.

Gallo getting reps in center was kind of the point of that acquisition, right? Because we thought so … and then it never happened.

We digress, but we’re not going to relent on that one. It makes all the sense in the world to bring in left-field talent now and ask questions later, especially since Gallo has no job security beyond 2022. We’re all aboard the Seiya Suzuki train, fully aware that there’ll be a learning curve and a moderate amount of risk involved, but we have to admit that it doesn’t feel as if the Yankees are on the same page whatsoever.

Suzuki himself, despite being connected to New York early in the free agency process, seems pretty settled on a different AL East destination altogether.

Yeah. That one.

During Suzuki’s appearance on Koji Uehara’s live podcast overseas, the ex-Red Sox closer prodded him about choosing Boston, which made it seem like the type of painfully obvious fait accompli the two friends can joke about.

Suzuki, to his credit, didn’t break. But he denied nothing as Uehara tried to get him in hot water.

Free Agency Rumors: Seiya Suzuki will probably pick the Red Sox over the Yankees

This is far from the first time Suzuki’s been connected to the Red Sox this offseason. Early chatter indicated they were in pursuit, which only increased in volume when Boston jettisoned Hunter Renfroe just before the transaction freeze began on Dec. 1.

That leaves space for an outfielder — either Kyle Schwarber or Suzuki, considering there’s no way they hand everyday duties over to JBJ.

Then, of course, a bunch of Sox fans noted that the only MLB team Suzuki was following on Instagram was the Red Sox, which changed the second everyone noticed and began to comment. Looks like somebody didn’t know that was a public feature.

Sure, there might a learning curve. Stardom may not be immediate.

But Suzuki certainly has a higher upside than Kevin Pillar or Juan Lagares, and it’s a shame he seems to be trending closer to joining Alex Cora’s bunch of cheaters, liars and thieves by the day — yes, even during a lockout.

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