Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Eugenio Suarez

Reds Sign Eugenio Suarez

By | at

Eugenio Suarez is returning to Cincinnati, as ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that the slugger has signed a one-year, $15MM deal with the Reds that includes a mutual option for the 2027 season.  Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that the option is worth $16MM, though mutual options are rarely triggered by both sides.  The deal will become official once the Reds clear a spot on their 40-man roster, and presumably when Suarez passes a physical.  Suarez is represented by Octagon.

Reports emerged last week that the Reds had interest in a reunion with the third baseman, who hit .253/.335/.476 with 189 homers over 3730 plate appearances during the 2015-21 seasons.  The continued uncertainty over the Reds’ broadcast deal with Main Street Sports was said to be a holdup for the team in how much money they had available to pursue Suarez or other targets like Austin Hays (who signed with the White Sox yesterday).

With an agreement now in place with Suarez, it could be that the Reds have gotten some clarity about how they’ll proceed with MSS or perhaps a new broadcasting agreement with Major League Baseball itself.  Alternatively, Suarez’s acceptance of just a one-year deal and arguably a discount price may be another reason why the two sides were able to line up on a contract.

MLB Trade Rumors ranked Suarez 20th on our list of the winter’s top 50 free agents, and projected him for a three-year, $63MM deal.  The one-year, $15MM pact falls well short of that prediction in both years and average annual value, as it could be teams were wary of making a larger commitment to a strikeout-prone player who turns 35 in July.  Suarez’s third base glovework also dropped in 2025, as he posted -6 Defensive Runs Saved and -3 Outs Above Average.

With the bat, however, Suarez hit 49 home runs in 2025, matching his career high set with the Reds in 2019.  Suarez’s overall slash line of .228/.298/.526 reflects his power-heavy output, as he delivered a below-average walk rate for the second consecutive season.  Though Suarez’s 29.8% strikeout rate put him in the fifth percentile of all batters, he maxed out when he did make contact, with strong hard-contact and barrel rates.

It has been a strange two-season run for Suarez, who sandwiched a superstar-level campaign in between two mediocre half-seasons.  Suarez had only a .591 OPS over his first 315 PA of the 2024 season with the Diamondbacks, before he caught fire and hit .276/.336/.593 with 60 homers over 766 PA from July 1, 2024 to July 31, 2025.  Unfortunately, Suarez then drastically cooled off after he was dealt to the Mariners at the trade deadline, but he somewhat rebounded to get some key hits during Seattle’s postseason run to Game 7 of the ALCS.

This rather extreme streakiness could be another reason Suarez’s market never really took off this winter, as teams were justifiably not sure exactly which version of Suarez they’d get in his 13th big league season.  The Mariners had some interest in a reunion, and other teams like the Cubs, Red Sox, and Pirates were also linked to the slugger.

Pittsburgh was the other finalist for Suarez’s services, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo.  As per MLB.com’s Alex Stumpf and Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates were willing to offer a $15MM average annual salary to Suarez and also offered him a second guaranteed year.  In taking just a one-year contract, Suarez seems to be hoping to fully re-establish his market by having a big season in 2026 and then re-entering free agency next winter.  It was also very likely to Cincinnati’s benefit that Suarez is already very familiar with the organization from his previous seven-year run in the Queen City.

While the Pirates are on the way up, Suarez may have been more interested in joining a Reds team that actually did make the playoffs in 2025.  Cincinnati reached the postseason on the strength of its rotation, as the lineup was average at best in most offensive categories, and 21st of 30 teams in home runs.  Elly De La Cruz and Spencer Steer combined for 43 homers as the Reds’ top two home-run hitters in 2025, so Suarez alone tops that total.

Suarez steps right into an everyday role in the Reds’ lineup, though it will be interesting to see where exactly Suarez is deployed.  Ke’Bryan Hayes is arguably the best defensive third baseman in the game, so Suarez is more likely to see a lot of action as a DH and possibly at first base.  Suarez’s MLB history as a first baseman consists of just three late-game appearances, all of which came last year.  The Reds will surely give Suarez plenty of time at the position this spring to see how Suarez fares at the cold corner, and Steer and Sal Stewart will also receive at-bats in the first base/DH mix.  Stewart can also play some second base and Steer could play left field, with Steer’s right-handed bat complementing the left-handed hitting JJ Bleday on the grass.

Bleday and Dane Myers were the only notable offensive adds the Reds made prior to today, with the two outfielders more or less replacing Hays and Gavin Lux (who was dealt to the Rays as part of the three-team deal with the Angels that brought reliever Brock Burke to Cincinnati).  Suarez now represents a major boost to the Reds’ lineup, and a source of stability on a team that is still waiting to see what it has in players like Steer, Stewart, Matt McLain, or Noelvi Marte.  Even De La Cruz was more good than great in 2025, but EDLC figures to benefit with Suarez providing protection behind him in the lineup.

RosterResource estimates a $126.1MM payroll for the Reds at the moment, which is a minor increase over their $118.7MM figure from the 2025 season.  President of baseball operations Nick Krall said in early November that the Reds would be spending at “around the same” levels as 2025, so it could be that the team is essentially done with significant offseason moves unless they can unload some salary.

This could again change depending on what happens with the Reds’ broadcast deal, or ownership might potentially green-light some more spending either now or during the season (perhaps once some ticket revenue starts rolling in).  The Reds seem to be well-positioned to make another run at a postseason berth in 2026, even though within the NL Central alone, the Pirates will be better and the Brewers and Cubs each figure to keep battling for the division crown.

Inset photo courtesy of Stephen Brashear — Imagn Images

Latest On Reds’ Payroll

By | at

The Reds roster appears to be in a holding pattern due to off-field reasons. Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic report that the club has interest in players like infielder Eugenio Suárez and outfielder Austin Hays but the club is waiting for more clarity on their broadcast situation before proceeding.

Cincinnati was one of nine teams who terminated a contract with Main Street Sports earlier this month. The company has been flailing for years and was in bankruptcy for most of 2023 and 2024, back when it was known as Diamond Sports Group. The company previously ran broadcasts under the Bally Sports moniker. After emerging from bankruptcy, they changed the company name and also signed a new naming rights deal, so the channel has had the FanDuel Sports Network label more recently.

Though the company did emerge from bankruptcy, they haven’t escaped trouble. They recently missed payments to a few clubs, which is what prompted the terminations. The regional sports network (RSN) model has been eroding for years due to cord cutting and streaming.

This puts some clubs in an awkward spot. The RSN model has been a good source of revenue in the past but it has been declining. Some teams have pivoted to having MLB running their broadcasts. This allows them to offer customers a direct-to-customer streaming option with no blackouts, increasing viewership. However, that model generally leads to revenues which are not only lesser but also not guaranteed, as they are contingent on how many people sign up.

Going back to Diamond/Main Street is another option but that usually involves the club taking in less money from rights fees than before. Going into 2025, the Reds looked around for different options but ended up working out a new deal with the company in mid-January.

At the start of the current offseason, president of baseball operations Nick Krall said that the Reds would likely have a similar payroll in 2026 to what they had in 2025, though that was before the Main Street situation cropped up.

Their winter has been fairly quiet, all things considered. They re-signed Emilio Pagán to a two-year, $20MM deal, a small raise over the two-year, $16MM deal which had just expired. They also gave one-year deals worth less than $7MM each to Pierce Johnson, Caleb Ferguson, JJ Bleday and Keegan Thompson, though Thompson was lost to the Rockies via waivers.

The Bleday signing perhaps made Gavin Lux expendable, as the Reds including him in a three-team trade a few weeks later to get lefty Brock Burke. That deal saved Cincinnati a few million, as Lux is going to make $5.525MM this year compared to Burke’s $2.325MM.

RosterResource currently projects the club for a payroll of $112MM. Cot’s Baseball Contracts put them at that same number at the start of 2025. It appears nudging this year’s number up a bit won’t happen without more clarity on the TV situation. Trading Brady Singer would free up some space, as he will make $12.75MM this year, but he has stayed on the roster despite trade rumors this winter.

Suárez would appear to be the less likely of the two potential pursuits. He is coming off a 49-homer campaign and MLBTR predicted him for a three-year, $63MM contract at the beginning of the offseason. Since he has lingered unsigned this long, perhaps it’s more like he ends up with a two-year deal, but it would still be with a decent average annual value.

The Reds have Ke’Bryan Hayes at third base but Suárez is not a great defender and is 34 years old, so he could be slotted into the first base and designated hitter mix, where the Reds have Sal Stewart and Spencer Steer. Stewart had a nice debut in 2025 but only has 58 big league plate appearances under his belt. Steer is coming off a couple of average seasons with the bat and could move into the outfield mix.

Hays should be more viable. The Reds signed him last year with a $5MM guarantee on a one-year deal. He had a solid season but his earning power shouldn’t be too much higher than it was then. He made for a nice complement to their outfield with his righty bat, pairing with lefties TJ Friedl and Lux. He could serve a similar role in 2026, but with Bleday swapped in for Lux.

That would be contingent on him staying unsigned while the Reds sort out their broadcast situation. Hays has also received reported interest from the Royals, Yankees, Mets and Cardinals this winter, though most of those clubs have made other outfield moves since those reports came out.

Photo courtesy of Ron Chenoy, Imagn Images

Poll: Who Will Sign Eugenio Suarez?

By | at

With Cody Bellinger now off the market, just one impact bat remains available in free agency: third baseman Eugenio Suarez. Coming off a 49-homer campaign in 2025, the 34-year-old seemed to be one of the premier mid-tier free agents available in free agency this winter. His market has been rather quiet for most of the winter, however. Some of that can surely be attributed to age, as teams are often hesitant about how strikeout-heavy sluggers like Suarez will age as they enter their mid-thirties. A tough stretch run in Seattle where Suarez hit just .189/.255/.428 across 53 games following a midseason trade might also raise some eyebrows. Even so, the upside Suarez demonstrated last year is tremendous and could be a game changer for a lineup in need of a boost. The question is: which team will step up to land him? A look at some of the options:

Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox are a somewhat obvious fit for Suarez’s services after the club missed out on reuniting with Alex Bregman earlier this month. That leaves a clear hole in the team’s infield, and Suarez is by far the best option to plug that hole remaining on the free agent market. The slugger would also offer home run power that the team lacked throughout 2025, a deficiency that led them to get involved in the markets for Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso earlier this winter. With that said, however, the team’s pivot towards signing Ranger Suarez after missing on Bregman has been coupled with a focus on pitching and run prevention. Suarez is a lackluster defender at third base already and those skills only figure to decline as he ages, so the Red Sox might prefer to pursue the trade market, where younger players like Nico Hoerner, Isaac Paredes, and Brendan Donovan could be available.

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates stand out as an excellent fit for Suarez on paper. After trading Ke’Bryan Hayes to the Reds last summer, they have a gaping hole at third base that Suarez could fill. Adding Suarez to the lineup would also lend credibility to the Pirates’ effort to contend this year. Brandon Lowe, Ryan O’Hearn, Bryan Reynolds, and Oneil Cruz are a solid group of bats in the heart of Pittsburgh’s order, but a big righty bat to help balance those lefties out a bit more would go a long way to adding some credibility to the club’s lineup. The biggest question for Pittsburgh might be whether the sides can find common ground at all; the Pirates have already spent quite a bit more than usual this winter, and it’s unclear where exactly their limit for spending is. From Suarez’s perspective, meanwhile, he might prefer to sign with a more surefire contender if Pittsburgh isn’t the clear best offer available to him.

Seattle Mariners

Early in the offseason, it seemed likely that Suarez would be headed elsewhere after the 2025 season. That’s sensible enough, as he had just wrapped up his second stint in Seattle and struggled with elevated strikeout rates relative to his career norms both times thanks to the difficult hitting environment at T-Mobile Park. Once Jorge Polanco signed elsewhere, however, reporting suggested an openness on the part of Seattle to reuniting with Suarez, as he could serve as a bridge to the team’s up-and-coming young infielders in Cole Young and Colt Emerson. While Suarez’s past struggles in Seattle create some cause for concern, it’s nonetheless not hard to see him putting together another solid season like the one he delivered for the Mariners in 2022, when he swatted 31 homers with a 132 wRC+ despite a strikeout rate north of 30%.

Other Options

While the above three teams are the most obvious fits for Suarez’s services, they aren’t the only plausible options. The Cubs were connected to Suarez earlier this winter. The Reds are very familiar with the slugger and spent the early part of the offseason looking to add a power-hitting bat to the middle of their lineup. The Phillies tried to sign Bo Bichette early this month but came up empty in those efforts. The Padres could use a big bat for first base or DH, particularly one that bats righty to complement Gavin Sheets. The Marlins have an affinity for high-powered, strikeout-heavy sluggers (Kyle Stowers, Owen Caissie) and a hole at third base that Suarez could credibly fill. The A’s recently tried to land Nolan Arenado to fill their hole at third base, and Suarez would be a great fit at the team’s homer-friendly ballpark.

All of those potential suitors come with caveats, however. The Cubs seem far less likely to be interested in Suarez after adding Bregman, and would need to push top prospect Moises Ballesteros out of the lineup to make room for him. The Reds have seemed reluctant to spend big this winter after missing out on Schwarber. The Phillies pivoted from Bichette to J.T. Realmuto and might not have room in the budget to pursue Suarez, especially if they can’t trade Alec Bohm. It’s unclear if the Padres have the budget space to mount a credible pursuit of Suarez, either. The same goes for the Marlins and the A’s, with both teams also suffering from the same flaw as Pittsburgh as teams that could be unappealing to free agents due to their struggles to contend in recent years.

Where do MLBTR readers think Suarez will ultimately land? Will he replace Bregman in Boston, transform the Pirates’ lineup, or return to Seattle? Is there another team out there that could sneak into the sweepstakes as a dark horse and come out on top? Have your say in the poll below:

Latest On Red Sox’ Infield Pursuits

By | at

The Red Sox pivoted quickly after losing out on third baseman Alex Bregman, bringing lefty Ranger Suárez in to join an already deep rotation. They’re still in the market for help on the infield, and comments from chief baseball officer Craig Breslow at Suárez’s introductory press conference perhaps shed some light on the potential moves they could yet have in store (links (via Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, Rob Bradford of WEEI and Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic).

“I don’t think there’s a question anymore that the identity of our team and the strength of our team is going to be our pitching and our ability to prevent runs,” Breslow said .

Breslow, unsurprisingly, wouldn’t comment directly on whether any subsequent additions are on the horizon. The third-year baseball ops leader acknowledged (via Bradford) that “teams call about some of our depth” but added that it’s “hard to tell” whether anything will come together in the near future, just given the sudden nature with which offseason negotiations can either accelerate or crumble at any given point.

Regarding the team’s in-house options, McCaffrey reports that the organization prefers Marcelo Mayer at third base rather than at second base. That’s not necessarily set in stone, and the Sox would presumably be open to Mayer at second base if an unexpected opportunity arose at the hot corner, but it’s nevertheless notable that that’s where they’d lean, all else being equal. Breslow emphasized that the Red Sox “will be very mindful of the defensive skill set” of any addition to the infield. McCaffrey suggests that the ideal target for the Red Sox would be a plus defensive second baseman.

That’s not great news for Eugenio Suárez, who has drawn some level of interest from Boston, Pittsburgh and the incumbent Seattle. (Surely, others are also in the mix to varying extents.) The 34-year-old is fresh off a 49-homer campaign and would absolutely give the Sox the power bat they said they were targeting early in free agency, but Breslow’s comments following the Bregman pivot seem more focused on defense, and Suárez was dinged for negative grades by both Defensive Runs Saved (-6) and Outs Above Average (-3) between the D-backs and Mariners this past season.

On the flip side, it only further strengthens the idea of Boston taking a genuine run at Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner or, to a lesser extent, Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan. Hoerner is the premier second base defender in MLB and is earning $12MM in the final season of his contract. He hit .297/.345/.394 with a microscopic 7.6% strikeout rate and 29 steals this past season. The Cubs have at least heard out interested teams on Hoerner, particularly after signing Bregman, but they’d need immediate MLB-ready help on the pitching side of things to even consider moving him. It’s also feasible that they could listen on young infielder Matt Shaw, but he’d also come with a lofty ask given his six years of remaining club control.

Circling back for a third separate trade with the Cardinals, where Breslow’s predecessor Chaim Bloom is running baseball operations, would be highly unusual — but the fit is sensible. Bloom obviously is quite familiar with many of Boston’s farmhands, and the Cardinals are looking to max out Donovan’s trade value while he still has two seasons of club control left. Donovan is a left-handed hitter and isn’t as strong defensively as Hoerner, making him a lesser fit, but the multiple seasons of control and ability to pretty seamlessly slide to third base or left field — depending on team health/needs — is certainly appealing.

Payroll-wise, there shouldn’t be much off the table for the Sox. RosterResource pegs them at about $197MM in actual cash payroll, which is down from 2025’s mark and not close to the franchise-record $236MM Opening Day mark. Their $265MM luxury tax ledger is far heftier, thanks in large part to backloaded deals for Suárez, Roman Anthony, Brayan Bello, Kristian Campbell and Ceddanne Rafaela. They’re second-time payors who are currently in the second penalty tier, thus subjecting them to a 42% tax on the the next $19MM or so that they spend.

If the Red Sox were to add another $20MM or more to the CBT ledger, that’d bump the tax rate to 75% for subsequent additions and, more notably, drop their top pick in the 2026 draft by ten spots. That’s probably the primary deterrent to spending beyond that point, though with the possible exception of Eugenio Suárez, none of the potential infield targets in question would thrust Boston into the third tier of penalization anyhow.

Readers — Red Sox fans in particular — are encouraged to check out the three linked pieces in full, as each has more extensive quotes from Breslow on the team’s offseason goals and the team’s pursuit of (Ranger) Suárez.

Poll: What’s Next For The Red Sox Infield?

By | at

The Red Sox were faced with a tough loss over the weekend when star third baseman Alex Bregman left the team to sign with the Cubs on a five-year, $175MM deal. That contract came in just $10MM ahead of Boston’s own offer in terms of sticker price, but deferred money and the lack of a no-trade clause further depreciated the Red Sox’ offer relative to that of the Cubs. The loss of Bregman left chief baseball officer Craig Breslow to search for a pivot, and he found just that yesterday when he signed southpaw Ranger Suarez to a five-year deal.

The $130MM pact places Suarez alongside Garrett Crochet and Sonny Gray as a member of Boston’s front of the rotation headed into the season, but it did little to address the hole that Bregman’s departure creates on the infield. Yesterday’s deal helped to bring down the temperature among fans in Boston and ease the pressure on Breslow to find a star, but it’s not hard to see why an addition could still be attractive given the number of question marks and overall lack of impact all around the roster.

Trevor Story delivered a 20/20 season last year but will be 33 years old this year and just played 100 games in a season for the first time since 2021. Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell entered last season as two of the game’s top prospects but Mayer has a checkered injury history of his own while there’s been some indications the Red Sox could prefer Campbell in the outfield rather than the infield. Neither was an above-average hitter in 2025, either. While both are young enough for a potential big step forward, a team with World Series aspirations like the Red Sox would be taking a big risk if they hang their hopes on young talents figuring it out. Ceddanne Rafaela has experience at second base, but is one of baseball’s top defensive center fielders and might be wasted at the keystone.

It would be easy to say the Red Sox should simply sign one of the top infielders available in free agency, and there’s certainly merit to the argument. The Red Sox are a big market club that just dumped Rafael Devers’s salary on the Giants over the summer. RosterResource estimates a $266MM payroll for the club in terms of luxury tax dollars headed into 2026, a figure that falls $20MM behind the Yankees and $45MM behind the Blue Jays even when looking only at their rivals in the AL East.

On the other hand, Boston’s payroll is already the highest it’s ever been in terms of luxury tax dollars. Even the actual cash outlay is second only to the 2022 team in the post-Mookie Betts era. Trading away someone like Jordan Hicks or Masataka Yoshida could help but neither has huge trade value right now.

But they don’t have a ton of options left in free agency. Bregman is a Cub and Bo Bichette reportedly has an agreement in place with the Mets. Eugenio Suarez is still out there but it’s unclear how willing the Sox are to spend on him.

Perhaps the trade market is the best bet. the addition of Suarez only further bolstered a rotation that has an excess of quality options. Using a young pitcher like Payton Tolle, Connelly Early, or Kyle Harrison as part of a package to land an impact infielder certainly seems attractive. The team also has an excess of outfield talent at the moment, particularly given the fact that both Yoshida and Triston Casas figure to be battling for playing time at DH. Trading Casas or an outfielder like Jarren Duran could make sense to clean up that logjam somewhat.

The Diamondbacks have reportedly taken Ketel Marte off the market but recent reporting has suggested that maybe Boston will try to change that stance. Even if he’s not realistic, there are still plenty of intriguing players who could be available via trade. Boston could make a third trade with the Cardinals and their newly-minted president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom in order to bring super utility man Brendan Donovan into the fold, though he would do little to balance a heavily left-handed lineup. Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner could be another option, though all indications are that Chicago would need to be overwhelmed in order to move their longtime infielder. It could be easier to pry away Matt Shaw, but the youngster isn’t much more well-established than Mayer and Campbell at this point, which could make him an imperfect fit for the team.

Perhaps the most attractive trade candidate out there at the moment would be Astros infielder Isaac Paredes, who was pushed off third base in Houston by the acquisition of Carlos Correa and has no clear path to everyday at-bats with his current team given the presence of Christian Walker and Yordan Alvarez at first base and DH respectively. Paredes is no match for Bregman defensively, but Bregman himself showed that a player who benefits from the Crawford Boxes in Houston can enjoy similar success hitting off/over the Green Monster at Fenway Park. As a 124 wRC+ hitter over the past four years, Paredes would add a viable middle-of-the-order bat to the Boston infield and create an intriguing, high-upside corner infield duo with newly-minted first baseman Willson Contreras.

Perfect as that fit might seem on paper, however, the Astros have signaled their reluctance to moving him — despite what looks like an overcrowded infield mix. Regular playing time for Paredes would be just one Spring Training injury away, and GM Dana Brown said publicly in November that he has “no interest” in moving the righty-swinging slugger. With free agent alternatives dwindling on the open market, plenty of suitors for both Donovan and Hoerner that the Red Sox would need to compete with, and hesitance on the part of the Cubs and Astros to part with their players, pulling off a trade could be easier said than done at this stage of the offseason.

That leaves us to circle back to the possibility that the team doesn’t add a regular to the lineup this winter. Mayer and Campbell could enter camp as the favorites for third and second base respectively, though if the team remains committed to trying Campbell in the outfield, David Hamilton and Romy Gonzalez could form a platoon at the keystone or Rafaela could shift back to the infield. If the Red Sox were to go this route, they would surely add a veteran infielder like Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Yoan Moncada, or Ramon Urias to the lineup in order to provide some competition for the youngsters in Spring Training and overall improve the depth of what would be an injury-plagued infield mix. While it would be a risky move to rely mostly on internal options, it would offer Mayer and Campbell the best opportunity to carve out everyday roles for themselves and might be the only option at the team’s disposal if they aren’t able to pull off some kind of trade in the ten weeks remaining before Opening Day.

How do MLBTR readers think the Red Sox will look to round out their infield? Will they turn to a free agent like Suarez, even if it means finding a way to dump salary elsewhere on the roster? Could they instead try and work out a trade for someone like Paredes, Hoerner, or Donovan? Or will they instead rely primarily on their internal options? Have your say in the poll below:

Red Sox Rumors: Suarez, Bichette, Valdez, Rotation

By | at

The Red Sox are still reeling from Alex Bregman’s departure for the Cubs but have minimal time to lick their wounds. The free agent and trade markets have begun to pick up some steam, and whatever Boston’s pivot from losing Bregman will be, it’ll need to come together before terribly long. The Bregman deal and the trade of Nolan Arenado from St. Louis to Arizona both figure to get the ball rolling with regard to the infield market. There are also indications that the market for top free agent Kyle Tucker is gaining steam as well. Even though Tucker understandably isn’t a target for a Red Sox team that’s deep in lefty-swinging outfielders, reports of him nearing a decision only give further credence to the idea that the market will accelerate with pitchers and catchers just a month from reporting to spring training.

It’s not entirely clear how Boston will look to counteract Bregman’s defection just yet. Both Bo Bichette and Eugenio Suarez have been mentioned as possible fallback options. The fit in either case makes sense. Both swing right-handed and have batted-ball profiles that would fit well at Fenway Park. Suarez could step into Bregman’s spot at third base. Bichette could play third base or second base. Former top prospects Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell could factor in at whichever of those two positions is not filled externally.

Sean McAdam and Chris Cotillo of MassLive provide some context in their latest column, as does Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. Per McAdam and Cotillo, the Red Sox showed preliminary interest in Suarez earlier in the offseason but were first waiting to see how the markets for not only Bregman but also Ketel Marte and Jorge Polanco played out. Suarez’s camp is operating under the assumption that there’s some interest and will soon be told whether the Sox plan to make a serious bid, per the report. Speier’s report generally backs up that line of thinking; he writes that the Red Sox have viewed Suarez as a fallback and had not seriously engaged with his camp prior to Bregman’s signing.

Suarez, 35 in July, popped 49 homers last season but hit .228/.298/.526 overall. He once graded as a strong defender at the hot corner but has seen his defensive grades slip as he’s aged into his mid-30s — as is often the case. His thunderous right-handed power and pull-happy approach make him a natural fit at Fenway Park, where he could pummel the Green Monster with line drives and clear it with regularity, but Suarez finished the season on a down note; his production waned after a trade from the D-backs to the Mariners last summer. After hitting .248/.320/.576 with a 26.8% strikeout rate for the Snakes, he posted a .189/.255/.428 slash with a 36% strikeout rate in 53 games for the M’s.

At the outset of free agency, MLBTR predicted a three-year deal worth a bit more than $20MM annually for Suarez. That contract seemed likely if a team were to make him a priority. That he’s been viewed as something of a fallback to sluggers like Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso, as well as top infield free agents like Bregman and Bichette, would at least seem to imply that a two-year deal may now be likelier. A two-year contract certainly would align with the Red Sox’ apparent aversion to long-term deals for players in their 30s, but Boston will face competition in signing him. The Mariners remain open to a reunion, and the Pirates, who’ve spent the offseason searching for power upgrades, have interest as well.

The Sox will face competition with regard to Bichette, too — if they plan to pursue him at all. Bichette is 27 and won’t turn 28 until March. His age makes him a candidate to sign the type of long-term deal the Red Sox have been reluctant to put forth to free agents. Both the MassLive and Globe reports cast significant doubt on whether the Red Sox would actually engage in a legitimate bidding war with a team like the Phillies, who met with Bichette just yesterday and are far more comfortable doling out long-term contracts (at least based on recent history).

Depending on how or even if the Red Sox end up accomplishing their goal of adding another hitter, a reallocation of the funds previously earmarked for Bregman could come into play. Both MassLive and the Globe suggest that a pivot to the rotation is something the Sox could now pursue. Speier suggests that the Sox are “open-minded” with regard to the position another impact player could fill. That could mean the rotation or, speculatively speaking, perhaps a run at improving the catching corps. J.T. Realmuto is still a free agent, and the Phillies reportedly don’t think they can sign both Bichette and Realmuto.

If the Sox pivot to the rotation, there are still some notable names on the market. Tim Healey of the Boston Globe reports that as far back as November, Red Sox brass had an in-person sit-down with Framber Valdez’s camp. That meeting came at the GM Meetings, where Valdez reportedly met with at least the Giants and Orioles as well.

Valdez, 32 next year, might not have been a top target after the Red Sox acquired Sonny Gray and pivoted to upgrading the lineup. However, he’d fit the stated goal of adding a No. 2 starter for a playoff series more directly than Gray. A postseason rotation with options including Garrett Crochet, Valdez, Gray and Brayan Bello would be quite strong, and it’s always possible that a touted young arm like Payton Tolle or Connelly Early forces his way into the mix.

Valdez became a free agent for the first time this offseason when he rejected a qualifying offer from the Astros, the only organization he’s ever known. He’s topped 190 innings in three of the past four seasons, pitching to a collective 3.21 ERA in 767 2/3 frames along the way. Valdez’s strikeout rate, walk rate and especially his 60% ground-ball rate have all been far better than the league average during that four-year span.

Signing Valdez, however, would require the Red Sox to punt their second- and fifth-highest selections in this summer’s draft, as well as $1MM of space in next year’s bonus pool for international free agent amateurs. The same is true of longtime Phillies southpaw Ranger Suarez and longtime D-backs righty Zac Gallen, both of whom rejected QOs as well. Whether they’d make those future concessions while simultaneously easing their reluctance to commit long-term deals to veterans in their 30s is an open question, but the Red Sox have now missed out on Bregman, Alonso and Schwarber in free agency, and top trade target Marte doesn’t sound like he’ll be moved at all. They’ll need to find a new plan of attack in the coming days, particularly with offseason activity picking back up following the annual holiday-season lull.

Pirates Interested In Eugenio Suarez

By | at

The Pirates have already added several new bats to their lineup, but the team isn’t done in its search for more offense.  Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Pirates are interested in Eugenio Suarez, though Mackey has doubts that the club will be able to win the bidding for the veteran slugger.

The fit is obvious, as Pittsburgh finished 30th of 30 teams in home runs (117), slugging percentage (.350), and isolated power (.119).  Suarez finished fifth in the majors in both homers (49) and isolated power (.248), and his .526 SLG ranked 10th among all qualified batters.  In terms of pure offensive production, Suarez was dragged down by a .228 batting average and .298 on-base percentage, and he continued to post one of the higher strikeout rates of any batter in the game.

Suarez’s 2025 production fell off drastically after the deadline trade that sent him from the Diamondbacks to the Mariners.  Though he posted bigger numbers in a prior stint in Seattle and Suarez’s strikeouts have made him prone to streaky play, seeing Suarez decline so sharply after moving to a pitcher-friendly ballpark must be a concern for the Pirates about how Suarez might fare at PNC Park.  Suarez is also 34 years old, so a steadier decline phase is a risk for signing a player of his age to a multi-year contract.

MLB Trade Rumors placed Suarez 20th on our list of the offseason’s top 50 free agents, and projected him to sign a three-year, $63MM free agent deal.  While Suarez’s age, one-dimensional offense, and increasingly shaky third base defense were considered in the projection, the fact is that Suarez’s pure power is hard to find.  Suarez’s well-regarded reputation as a clubhouse leader is another plus for a young Pirates team that can use some experience on and off the field.

As often mentioned when discussing the Pirates and any target on the open market, Francisco Liriano’s three-year, $39MM from December 2014 remains the largest contract the Bucs have ever given to a free agent.  Ryan O’Hearn’s two-year, $29MM deal from a couple of weeks ago at least approached that dubious record, and the Pirates’ nine-figure bid on Kyle Schwarber from earlier this winter indicates that Pittsburgh is willing to stretch its limited budget to try and solve its offensive woes.

Between the O’Hearn signing and the trades that brought Brandon Lowe, Jhostynxon García, and Jake Mangum into the black-and-gold, the Bucs have already done quite a bit to bolster their league-worst offense.  Installing Suarez at third base would be the biggest move yet, and the fact that Suarez’s market has seemed a little limited to date might work in the Pirates’ favor.

The Mariners, Red Sox, and Cubs are the only teams known to be interested in Suarez, though any number of other clubs might be on the periphery.  Seattle has enough other third base candidates that it seemed their interest in hot corner help is limited to Suarez specifically, while the Sox and Cubs are two of Alex Bregman’s suitors.  Kazuma Okamoto was known to be one of Pittsburgh’s prime targets, but the third baseman instead signed with the Blue Jays, leaving the Pirates perhaps more likely to make a run at Suarez.

Mariners Remain Interested In Re-Signing Eugenio Suarez

By | at

Of the Mariners’ three primary position-player free agents, Josh Naylor returned to the team on a five-year, $92.5MM contract, and Jorge Polanco headed to the Mets on a two-year, $40MM deal.  This leaves Eugenio Suarez on the open market, and in an interview with MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said there’s “certainly a chance” Suarez could join Naylor for another stint in the Pacific Northwest.

“We love Geno.  Geno brings a ton not just on the field, the things that people see…but off the field,” Hollander said.  “His steady presence, great makeup, [and] what he brings to a clubhouse every day, it’s really hard to replicate.  So we’ve maintained contact with Geno’s reps all winter long.”

Re-signing Naylor was known to be Seattle’s clear priority as the offseason began, with reports indicating that Polanco and Suarez (in that order) were the next items on the checklist.  The fact that Naylor signed in mid-November allowed the M’s some extra flexibility in accessing the rest of the market, and talks with Polanco reportedly saw the Mariners make a two-year offer at least in the range of the Mets’ $40MM figure.

It isn’t known if the Mariners made any kind of concrete offer to Suarez to perhaps see which of Suarez or Polanco accepted first, or if the M’s held off on diving too deeply into talks with Suarez until Polanco’s fate was decided.  Even with Polanco now off the market, Seattle has also been linked to such prominent trade targets as Brendan Donovan and Ketel Marte, so it could be that any substantive negotiations with Suarez are being held off until one or both of these infielders are dealt, or if talks with the Cardinals or Diamondbacks fall apart.

If Suarez did return to the Mariners, he would likely be used more as a DH than as a regular third baseman.  Depending on the defensive metric of your choice, Suarez has been generally an average to below-average third baseman for several years now, and both Defensive Runs Saved (-6) and Outs Above Average (-3) weren’t impressed by his glovework in 2025.  The M’s have enough good internal third base options that the team has been looking mostly at second base help, and Suarez might be pretty much the only free agent third baseman on Seattle’s radar due to his past history with the franchise.

The Cubs and Red Sox have also been linked to Suarez’s market this winter, but again, it isn’t known if either of these teams or any other suitors have put a contract on the table for the 34-year-old slugger.  It has been a fairly cool market for a player coming off a 49-homer season, yet Suarez’s age, high strikeout rates, and subpar defense are red flags for any team considering a long-term commitment.  It also didn’t help that Suarez’s production dipped heavily after he was dealt from the Diamondbacks to the Mariners at the trade deadline.

MLB Trade Rumors still ranked Suarez 20th on our list of the winter’s top 50 free agents, and projected him to land a three-year, $63MM deal.  That contract still seems possible since there’s still plenty of time left in the offseason, and the market undoubtedly has plenty of twists and turns as free agents come off the board and other players change teams on the trade market.  While a hometown discount may or may not be feasible, it is fair to guess that Suarez might favor the Mariners over other teams, due to his familiarity with the clubhouse and the likelihood that Seattle will again be postseason contenders in 2026 and beyond.

Red Sox Have Had Talks With Eugenio Suárez

By | at

As the Red Sox look to add power to their lineup, they’ve talked internally about the possibility of signing Eugenio Suárez and held some talks with his camp, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reports. The team’s interest in Suárez is all the more notable with the market’s top slugger, Kyle Schwarber, off the board on a five-year deal that’ll keep in Philadelphia. The Red Sox were known to have interest in Schwarber.

Speier frames Suarez as something of a fallback at third base, should Alex Bregman sign elsewhere, or a possible piece of the first base (and, presumably, designated hitter) puzzle. Playing Suárez full-time or even semi-regularly at first base might be a stretch, though the D-backs and Mariners both gave him short looks there in 2025. That was a total of only six innings — the first of his career — but some have speculated that Suárez could slide across the diamond as he moves into his mid-30s. Regular work at DH would only be feasible if the Sox were to find a taker for Masataka Yoshida.

Suárez, 34, ranked fifth among all big leaguers with 49 home runs this past season, trailing only Shohei Ohtani, Schwarber, Cal Raleigh and Aaron Judge. He hit .228/.298/.526 on the season as a whole, though that production was weighed down a bit by some struggles in the immediate aftermath of a trade from Arizona back to Seattle. Suárez stumbled out of the gate in his return to the Emerald City, slashing an anemic .141/.188/.266 in his first 69 plate appearances. To some extent, he turned things around thereafter, popping 11 homers over his final 151 plate appearances, but he did so with a huge strikeout rate and sub-.300 OBP.

That sort of stretch is par for the course with Suárez, a prodigious slugger who’s prone to strikeouts. In past seasons, his walk rate has helped to compensate for some of that swing-and-miss penchant. That’s not quite been the case in 2024-25, as Suárez’s walk rate has dipped to a slightly below-average 7.3%.

Suárez still makes tons of loud contact (90.2 mph average exit velocity, 47.6% hard-hit rate), but he chased off the plate at a career-high 31% clip last season — a significant problem for a hitter whose 39% contact rate on pitches off the plate was among the lowest in baseball. That poor contact rate when chasing isn’t a backbreaker in and of itself, but it is when coupled with such a prominent propensity to chase. Judge, for instance, had the worst contact rate among all qualified hitters on balls off the plate, per Statcast. However, he chased just 22.3% of such offerings.

Concerns about his OBP and strikeouts notwithstanding, Suárez clearly has some of the most power in the game. And, at 34 years of age (35 next July), he’s not going to exceed three years on his next contract and could plausibly command only two with a premium annual value. Suárez is also revered as a teammate, which played a role in the Mariners’ desire to reacquire him after originally trading him when ownership mandated payroll cuts following the 2023 season.

It doesn’t sound as though Suárez is Boston’s top option, but the Red Sox join the Cubs and incumbent Mariners as known teams intrigued by the righty-swinging slugger’s thunderous power so far this offseason.

Cubs Have Interest In Eugenio Suarez

By | at

The Cubs have interest in Eugenio Suarez as they explore the third base market, according to a report from Francys Romero of Beisbol FR.

While Chicago doesn’t appear to be getting involved in the sweepstakes for outgoing superstar Kyle Tucker, that doesn’t mean they won’t be active in other areas of free agency this winter. The Cubs haven’t been shy about their focus being on adding a starter to the front half of their rotation, and they’ve been connected to players like Michael King, Tatsuya Imai, Zac Gallen, and Ranger Suarez amid those efforts. They also remain in the market for bullpen help even after signing Phil Maton and missing out on Ryan Helsley when the latter signed in Baltimore last month.

While the focus on Chicago’s offseason seems to primarily be on pitching, bolstering a lineup that appears poised to lose Tucker makes plenty of sense. The Cubs have been connected to Alex Bregman with relative frequency in recent days after being one of the final teams in on his market last winter. After a solid but unspectacular (93 wRC+, 1.5 fWAR) season from Matt Shaw at the hot corner last year and with second baseman Nico Hoerner ticketed for free agency after the 2026 season, it’s easy to see why the Cubs might want to bolster their infield mix this winter.

As for Suarez himself, he’d surely be a more affordable option than Bregman. The 34-year-old is coming off one of the best seasons of his career as he slugged 49 home runs and posted a 125 wRC+, but his market has been relatively quiet to this point in the winter. The Mariners are open to reuniting with Suarez, but are seemingly prioritizing a potential reunion with Jorge Polanco at this point. Teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, Brewers, and Astros were connected to Suarez on the trade market over the summer, but there have been no connections drawn between Suarez and any of those teams this offseason. That’s not necessarily a surprise, of course; trading for a few months of a player just before they hit free agency is a very different decision than signing them to what could be a multi-year commitment.

Even so, the fit between the Cubs and Suarez is a fairly apparent one. He would help boost the Cubs’ offense and provide cover for Shaw at third base, just as Bregman would, though he likely wouldn’t command nearly as much of a commitment in terms of years or dollars. MLBTR predicted Suarez would land a deal worth three years and $63MM in free agency this winter as part of our Top 50 MLB Free Agents list, where Suarez ranked 20th. By contrast, MLBTR’s prediction for Bregman (ranked 5th in this year’s class) landed at six years and $160MM. That difference can be attributed to the fact that Bregman is two years younger than Suarez and has been much more consistent throughout his career, in addition to being a significantly better defender at third base.

Even with Suarez’s flaws, that discrepancy in price tag could make him an appealing alternative to Bregman for a few reasons. The Cubs have treated the first luxury tax threshold as something of a soft cap in recent years, and according to RosterResource the club has just under $197MM in commitments for luxury tax purposes in 2026. The difference in AAV on MLBTR’s contract predictions for Suarez and Bregman sits at just under $6MM. That’s a relatively small amount compared to the roughly $46MM between the Cubs’ current spending level and the first threshold of the luxury tax, but that wiggle room could be meaningful if the team also looks to add a rotation arm in free agency.

Additionally, Chicago has seemingly been hesitant to add significant money to the books long-term outside of Dansby Swanson’s contract with the club. Maton (signed through 2027) became just the second player on the roster signed to a guaranteed deal beyond the 2026 season. While it stands to reason that more are likely to come throughout this winter, it’s fair to think the Cubs might value the long-term flexibility signing someone like Suarez would provide given how they’ve constructed the rest of their roster. For example, if the Cubs were interested in either extending Hoerner or re-signing him next offseason, committing to a multi-year deal for their second baseman might seem more palatable with a short-term deal for Suarez on the books rather than a long-term deal for Bregman.

It should be noted that while the Cubs have only been directly connected to Suarez and Bregman so far, they’re far from the only two third basemen who figure to be available this winter. NPB star Kazuma Okamoto is set to come over from Japan this winter and has spent most of his career at the hot corner. The aforementioned Polanco also has some limited experience at the hot corner. KBO infielder Sung Mun Song, veteran Yoan Moncada, utility man Willi Castro and former Gold Glover Ramon Urias are among the lower-tier third base capable players on the market this winter.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top