Pirates GM Addresses Potential Eugenio Suárez Signing
In this story:
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have made some important additions this offseason, which have improved their lineup for 2026. The Pirates landed second baseman Brandon Lowe in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, plus signed free agent Ryan O'Hearn to a two-year, $29 million deal, adding two left-handed power bats.
Pittsburgh also added depth pieces in outfielders like Jake Mangum in the Rays trade, plus prospect Jhostynxon García, who could develop into a big power bat for them, plus left-handed relief pitchers in Mason Montgomery from the Rays and free agent Gregory Soto.
The Pirates would benefit from making more moves, including at third baseman, with Eugenio Suárez considered the top option at the position.
Pirates GM Addresses Eugenio Suárez Signing
The Pirates have reportedly shown interest in Suárez this offseason, as they have depth concerns at the left side of their infield, with Jared Triolo their lone, true third base option.
Pirates general manger Ben Cherington spoke at a Q&A at PiratesFest this past weekend at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Downtown Pittsburgh.
One question he fielded from the audience was about adding a power bat like Suárez and how that might impact other additions they would need, particularly left-handed pitching.
Cherington said that they still want to add southpaws, but that they still want to make lineup additions with power. He didn't name Suárez outright as an addition, due to rules in the CBA that prevent front office members from discussing most things about free agents, but did put Suárez in that category of players they would look at this offseason.
"Of course, we also want to continue to add bats to the lineup and power, and you mentioned one name, there are others out there that we’re pursuing through free agency and trade," Cherington said.
"We’re going to continue to be aggressive to find ways to improve the team with that we think makes sense to the Pirates in 2026 and beyond, and as long as someone is still a free agent, it means we have a chance.
"I don’t feel like we’re limited in the sense of, 'Well, if we do this thing over here, we can’t do this thing over here.' At some point, that becomes true, but as long as we have both trade options we can pursue and free agent options to pursue, it gives you enough flexibility to go down different paths to do multiple things and that’s still our desire."
Will the Pirates Sign Eugenio Suárez?
Suárez makes perfect sense for the Pirates, as they need another right-handed bat for the lineup and could use a third baseman for 2026.
A big issue for the Pirates with courting free agents is that they've struggled for quite a while and haven't had recent success.
The Pirates have not made the postseason since 2015 nor had a winning season since 2018, which are both the second-longest streaks in the major leagues, with only the Los Angeles Angels having longer droughts.
Some of the other teams interested in Suárez, like the Boston Red Sox or a return with the Seattle Mariners, appear better primed for a postseason run than the Pirates.
The Pirates may also have issues with payroll, when it comes to signing Suárez, as they are already around $90-$95 million with the additions of Lowe and O'Hearn.
Spotrac puts the market value of Suárez at two years, $29.9 million, or about $15 million per season. Kiley McDaniel of ESPN has him at two years, $45 million, $22.5 million per season, while Jim Bowden of The Athletic has Suárez at three years, $72 million, or $24 million per year.
The Pirates will likely have to overpay for his services, either with more money per year (AAV) or a longer contract, or likely both, if Suárez actually has interest in playing in Pittsburgh.
Fellow top free agent third baseman Alex Bregman signing with the Chicago Cubs on a five-year, $175 million deal. which means that Suárez will also command a top contract from potential suitors.
The Pirates would benefit incredibly from his bat, but they still will want to make additions in a left-handed starting pitcher and a closer.
If contract demands go too high, they'll probably pivot to the trade market or a much cheaper third baseman in free agency.
What the Pirates Would Get in Eugenio Suárez
Suárez would serve as a massive boost for the Pirates, with only five other players having more home runs than him since 2018. He has never hit less than 21 home runs in a season in his career, where he played more than 100 games, which is more than any Pirates player had this season, with center fielder Oneil Cruz leading with 20 home runs.
Season (Games) | Home Runs |
|---|---|
2016 (159) | 21 |
2017 (156) | 26 |
2018 (143) | 34 |
2019 (159) | 49 |
2021 (145) | 31 |
2022 (140) | 31 |
2023 (162) | 22 |
2024 (158) | 30 |
2025 (159) | 49 |
The Pirates struggled massively from the plate this past season, especially with a lack of power, posting the worst OPS (.655) and slugging percentage (.350) in all of baseball.
They also haven't had a strong hitting third baseman, moving on from Gold Glove Award winner Ke'Bryan Hayes ahead of the trade deadline, sending him to the Cincinnati Reds on July 30.
Hayes, who was in the middle of an eight-year, $70 million contract with the Pirates, finished this season with the lowest slugging percentage (.306) and the second-lowest OPS (.596), plus the 14th-lowest on-base percentage (.290) and 24th-lowest batting average (.235).
There is a big trade off between having Hayes, who just won his second Gold Glove Award, and Suárez, who ranked towards the bottom of defensive third basemen, with -4 runs prevented and -6 outs above average (OAA).
Pittsburgh needs hitting more than defense and only one hitter in franchise history has hit more than 49 home runs in a season, which was Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner, with 54 home runs in 1949 and 51 home runs in 1947.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.