Pirates Interested in Free Agent Third Baseman
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have made some important moves so far this offseason, which have improved their lineup.
The Pirates traded with the Tampa Bay Rays for Brandon Lowe, who led all second basemen with 31 home runs in 2025. They also added free agent slugger Ryan O'Hearn on a two-year, $29 million deal, who has been an All-Star two of the past three seasons.
Pittsburgh has missed out on a number of top free agents as well, including Kyle Schwarber and Josh Naylor, who they reportedly offered record contracts, plus the likes of Pete Alonso, Munetaka Murakami and Jorge Polanco.
The Pirates also heavily pursued Japanese star Kazuma Okamoto, but he ended up signing with the Toronto Blue Jays instead.
Pittsburgh could use a third baseman this offseason and one free agent they're reportedly looking at is Eugenio Suárez, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Will the Pirates Sign Suárez?
Mackey reported that the Pirates have "kept tabs" on Suárez and "remain interested" in him, but that he doesn't see them as favorites for his signature.
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.
Suárez turns 35 years old in July and will likely want at least a three-year deal, something the Pirates could do, but concerns of his eventual decline could cause them to look elsewhere.
The Pirates would benefit massively 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 he could serve as their designated hitter, as the future of Andrew McCutchen with the franchise is uncertain.
Suárez Has Fantastic 2025 Season
Suárez is a great power hitter and is coming off of one of the best seasons in his career in 2025, which should give the Pirates even more reason to sign him.
He served as one of the best hitting third basemen in baseball last season, slashing .228/.298/.526 for an OPS of .824 in 159 games, with 134 hits, 28 doubles, 49 home runs, 118 RBIs and 46 walks to 196 strikeouts.
Those 49 home runs matched a career high in 2019 and served as the fifth most in baseball.
He excelled with the Arizona Diamondbacks last season, before they traded him to the Seattle Mariners ahead of the deadline, slashing .248/.320/.576 for an OPS of .896 in 106 games, with 96 hits, 19 doubles, 36 home runs, 87 RBIs and 29 walks to 117 strikeouts.
Suárez didn't hit as well with the Mariners, slashing .189/.255/.428 for an OPS of .682 in 53 games, but still hit 13 home runs and added 31 RBI.
He did much better for Seattle in the postseason, where they made the ALCS and almost the World Series, before falling in seven games to the Toronto Blue Jays. He slashed .213/.275/.426 for an OPS of .700, with 10 hits in 47 at-bats, a double, three home runs, eight RBIs and four walks to 18 strikeouts.
The Pirates not only would get a home run hitter, but someone with playoff experience too, which is crucial for a team vying for the postseason.
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.