The Cincinnati Reds have put two players on outright waivers, and one of them is a familiar name for Cubs fans.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported that the Reds made third baseman Eugenio Suárez and outfielder TJ Friedl available, with added reporting confirming both players were placed on waivers on Tuesday. Teams have until Thursday afternoon to submit a claim. Since the waiver trade deadline is gone, any club that claims either player would get him and assume the money still owed.
Suárez is owed about $3 million for the rest of the season, while Friedl is due a little more than $700,000. Rosenthal’s read is that both players will clear waivers and stay with Cincinnati through the end of the year.
For the Cubs, Suárez would have been the kind of late-August pickup that at least makes you pause. He has spent his career tormenting Chicago, and there had already been rumblings that the Cubs were interested in him before last summer’s trade deadline. There were also loose ties to him during the offseason.
Instead, Suárez returned to the Reds on a one-year, $15 million deal. Injuries have limited him to 103 games, but the power is still there. He has 19 home runs, which is the part that would matter most for a contender looking for extra thump.
That said, Chicago does not look like a natural fit here. The Cubs do not appear to need a right-handed bat off the bench, and Matt Shaw’s return changes the picture even more. Shaw homered in his latest minor-league rehab game with the Iowa Cubs and seems close to being back, which makes the idea of adding Suárez even less likely.
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