Eugenio Suárez is returning to Cincinnati. The slugging third baseman spent 2015-21 with the Reds, amassing a 12.8 WAR with 189 home runs. Per Jeff Passan of ESPN, the deal is one year for $15 million with a mutual option for 2027.
Slugger Eugenio Suárez and the Cincinnati Reds are in agreement on a one-year, $15 million contract that includes a mutual option for the 2027 season, sources tell ESPN. The best bat left on the market goes to Cincinnati, where he’s expected to get most of his at-bats at DH.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 1, 2026
Eugenio Suárez Returning to Reds
The Reds get the best bat left on the market in Suárez. Suárez was ranked 16th overall on the Athletic’s free agency big board. He had a disappointing stretch with the Seattle Mariners last season, hitting just .189 with 13 home runs and a .682 OPS in 53 games. A far cry from his All-Star first half with the Arizona Diamondbacks, in which he hit .248 with a stellar .897 OPS and 36 home runs. Making him arguably the top trade asset at the trade deadline last season.
Now Suarez returns to a major hitting park in Great American Ball Park, where he has had great success in his career. Per Passan, Suárez will receive most of his at-bats at DH. This will be a change from his previous stint in Cincinnati, in which he played in only two games as a DH. But now at 34, it makes sense that the Reds want to maximize his offense as much as possible. Especially when they can afford that luxury with one of the best defensive third basemen in baseball, Ke’Bryan Hayes.
Suárez is the first major offensive free agent to sign with the Reds this offseason. He joins a Reds team that went 83-79 last season, losing in the National League Wild Card Series, 2-0 to the eventual champion, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Suárez only made the postseason once with the Reds in the Covid-shortened season of 2020. He will look to help them make it back again as a strong offensive force in their lineup.
Main Photo Credit: Michael Hickey/Getty Images)