Pirates Urged to Sign Free Agent Power Bat
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates added a top free agent in Ryan O'Hearn, but still could use another bat in the lineup to solidify a great offseason.
The Pirates also added second baseman Brandon Lowe from the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-team tradej on Dec. 19, that saw them send right-handed starting pitcher Mike Burrows to the Houston Astros.
Pittsburgh also landed top 100 prospect in outfielder Jhostynxon García from the Boston Red Sox on Dec. 4, departing with right-handed starting pitcher Johan Oviedo. The Pirates need more offense and one free agent bat that could help them in that regard is Eugenio Suárez.
Insider Urges Pirates to Sign Eugenio Suárez
Jim Bowden of The Athletic spoke on MLB Network Radio about his desire for him to see the Pirates add Suárez. He liked the trade for Lowe and that the starting pitching staff has what it takes to bring the Pirates to the offseason, but that adding Suárez would make the lineup even better.
Bowden basically begged Pirates general manager Ben Cherington to add Suárez. He also noted that if Cherington was willing to offer record contracts to Kyle Schwarber and Josh Naylor, then he should definitely sign Suárez and another player too.
"I want Ben to step up," Bowden said. "You've got Brandon Lowe, let's finish the job. Let's get some power for this pitching staff. They got a starting pitching staff that can keep them competitive, we've got to score runs.
"Let's go get Suárez and put him with Lowe and get that power in the middle there and get some three-run homers for this pitching staff so Paul Skenes doesn't lose 2-1 and 1-0 every fifth day. I want run support. Eugenio hit 49 [home runs] last year.
"Ben Cherington, let's go! If you had that much money to throw at [Kyle] Schwarber and that much money to throw at [Josh] Naylor, well then you certainly can bring in Suárez to go with Lowe and you can get another guy too!"
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 the best seasons in his career in 2025, which should give the Pirates even more reason to sign him.
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 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 baseman 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.
Will the Pirates Sign Suárez?
Suárez will command a serious deal for any team interested in his services this offseason.
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.
This would make Suárez the highest paid position player on the Pirates next season and potentially the highest, with right-handed starting pitcher Mitch Keller making $16.9 million in 2026.
The Pirates have already gone after the likes of power bats in Kyle Schwarber, Pete Alonso, Jorge Polanco and Josh Naylor, who all signed elsewhere.
They offered record contracts to Naylor, north of $78 million, and Schwarber, for four years and $125 million, showing that they are serious about spending this offseason.
Signing O'Hearn also shows they are willing to give money to position player free agents and should entice a player like Suárez in negotiaitions.
Pittsburgh will have to give out a bigger contract than their competitors, due to their lack of winning in recent seasons, and even though there aren't reports of them going after Suárez, it just makes much more sense now after their misses and a need at third base.
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.