Eugenio Suárez Returns to Cincinnati on One-Year Deal - But There’s More Beneath the Surface
Eugenio Suárez is heading back to where it all began - at least, where his power truly took off. The veteran slugger has reportedly agreed to a one-year, $15 million deal with the Cincinnati Reds, with a mutual option for 2026 worth $16 million.
On the surface, that might look like a bargain for a guy who just launched 49 home runs last season. But dig a little deeper, and the picture gets more complicated.
Let’s start with the obvious: 49 homers is no joke. That’s elite power, plain and simple.
Suárez split his 2025 campaign between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Seattle Mariners, and even amid the midseason shuffle, he kept mashing. Power like that doesn’t come around every day - and it usually doesn’t come this cheap.
So why did a hitter with that kind of pop settle for a one-year deal?
Well, Suárez is 34 now, and his game has become increasingly one-dimensional. His defense at third base has taken a step back, and reports suggest the Reds plan to use him primarily as a designated hitter.
That tells you a lot. He’s no longer seen as a two-way asset.
And while the home runs are still there, the rest of the offensive profile is less encouraging.
His 2025 slash line - .228/.298/.526 - paints the picture of a hitter who lives and dies by the long ball. He doesn’t walk much, he strikes out a ton, and when the homers aren’t flying, there’s not much else to fall back on. After being traded to Seattle midseason, he struggled to a .189/.255/.428 line - though, to his credit, he did manage to go deep three times in the playoffs.
The strikeout numbers are especially eye-popping. Suárez has racked up 1,814 career strikeouts, which puts him 26th on the all-time list - just two behind Dave Kingman.
Last season alone, he whiffed 196 times. Over the past five years, he’s averaged 190 strikeouts per season.
If he stays healthy and plays a full slate in 2026, he’s got a real shot at joining the exclusive 2,000-strikeout club - a group that currently includes just eight players in MLB history.
He’s not alone in chasing that milestone. Paul Goldschmidt (1,979) is knocking on the door and should get there this year, assuming he stays on the field.
Andrew McCutchen (1,893) is in the mix too, depending on where - and how often - he plays. Suárez needs 189 more to tie Andres Galarraga for eighth all-time, and 158 to pass Justin Upton and crack the top 10.
Beyond the numbers, there’s a bit of a full-circle narrative here. This will be Suárez’s second stint with the Reds, the team that helped him blossom into a power-hitting force after acquiring him from the Tigers in 2014.
Cincinnati traded him to Seattle in 2022. He went from the Mariners to the Diamondbacks after the 2023 season, only for Seattle to bring him back last summer.
Now he’s back in Cincinnati - and if he really wanted to complete the loop, a return to Detroit would be the final chapter.
For now, though, he’s back in a Reds uniform, looking to prove that the power is still real - and that there’s still value in a bat-first slugger, even in an era where versatility and on-base skills are king. The Reds are betting that Suárez can keep launching balls into the Ohio sky. If he does, $15 million might end up looking like a steal.