MLB Rumors: Eugenio Suarez and the Cincinnati Reds agree to a one-year, $15 million deal with a $16 million mutual option for 2026, according to reports.
I think it’s fair to say that this is a much lighter deal than most expected. Suarez, 34, split the 2025 season between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners, and ended up accumulating 49 home runs during the season. Ben Clemsns projected two years, $50 million for Suarez at Fangraphs, while Kiley McDaniel got him at 2 years, $45 million. Just $15 million for one year for a 49-homer last year doesn’t seem to make sense.
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There are, however, certain concerns that seem to help explain this. Suarez has become rather one-dimensional – his defense at third base has declined and Cincinnati will play him primarily at DH, according to reports. He doesn’t get on base much, slashing .228/.298/.526, and strikes out a ton. Fundamentally, his value has a lot to do with his home runs, and teams have long been wary of right-handed power hitters falling off the cliff. Suarez probably didn’t help himself with his .189/.255/.428 slash line for Seattle after the trade, although he did hit three home runs in the postseason.
Some interesting things here, to me anyway. Suarez has 1,814 strikeouts in his career, which places him 26th all-time, two behind Dave Kingman. However, given that he struck out 196 times last year and has averaged 190 K per season over the past five years, if he plays every day he has a good chance of breaking the 2,000 K mark. Only 8 players have struck out at least 2,000 times in their major league careers, although Paul Goldschmidt (1979) seems likely to reach 2 000 K in 2026, assuming he plays, and Andrew McCutchen (1893) could also get there if he lands in a place where he can play every day. He needs 189 to tie Andres Galarraga, who is currently 8th, and 158 to overtake Justin Upton and reach the top 10.
The other interesting thing is that Suarez seems to be coming full circle in his franchise journeys. This is his second stint with the Reds, who traded him to Seattle in the spring of 2022. Seattle traded him to Arizona after the 2023 season, then reacquired him last summer. To make it complete, after playing for the Reds this year, Suarez will have to join the Detroit Tigers, who originally signed him, and traded him to Cincy for Alfredo Simon in 2014.
