Eugenio Suarez contract grades after intriguing Reds signing

Feb 2, 2026 - 00:00

After missing the boat to the MLB postseason for four years in a row, the Cincinnati Reds finally tasted the playoffs again in the 2025 campaign after winning 83 games and finishing third in the National League Central Division.

Although they failed to move past the National League Wild Card Round, where they ran into the powerful Los Angeles Dodgers, the Reds managed to build some momentum heading into the offseason and into the 2026 campaign.

Perhaps reuniting with an old friend with a powerful bat will help Cincinnati sustain its form and be even better in 2026.

On Sunday, news broke that the Reds have landed one of the biggest remaining names in MLB free agency, with two-time All-Star slugger Eugenio Suarez deciding to take his talents back to Cincinnati. Suarez’s contract with the Reds this time around is reportedly for just a year and comes with a price tag of $15 million. It also has a mutual option for the 2027 MLB season.

There’s no secret to what Suarez brings to the table

Everyone knows what Suarez is all about, and it’s none other than sending balls to the moon. He can continue doing that for a club he’s most familiar with.

Despite being away from Cincinnati for several years, Suarez has surely not forgotten what it’s like to hit bombs in Cincy during his initial stint with the Reds from the 2015 campaign to the 2021 season.

Over that span, the Venezuelan slugger slashed .253/.335/.476 with 189 home runs and 524 RBIs to go with a 110 OPS+ through 916 gamesa nd 3,730 plate appearances.

Since leaving Cincinnati, Suarez has played for the Seattle Mariners and the Arizona Diamondbacks. From 2022 to 2025, he hit just .238 and posted a subpar .318 OBP, but his power made him a valuable asset for his teams, as he hit 132 home runs and posted a solid .461 slugging percentage in that span.

Suarez’s power comes with a low walk rate and high strikeout rate, but those are downsides Cincinnati apparently is willing to accept.

In the 2025 MLB season with the Diamondbacks and the Mariners, Suarez hit just .228 and struck out 196 times, but he had finished fifth in the big leagues with 49 home runs and recorded a .526 slugging percentage.

The Reds signed Suarez for what?

Although they are getting a much older version of Suarez in this reunion, the Reds did not commit too much money to get him back.

Even when considering his flaws as a hitter and his mediocre defense, Suarez could have gotten more money somewhere else. But the Reds ultimately got his signature for $15 million, as they hope to see him provide what they lacked in 2025.

Last season, Cincinnati was just eighth in the NL with 167 home runs and ninth with only a .391 slugging percentage, and the Reds can expect to better those numbers with Suarez back in town.