Top Free Agent Pirates Should Go After
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates haven't made their big free agent signing yet, but there's still one main option they should target this offseason.
The Pirates have searched for power bats that will bolster a lineup that hit the least home runs in baseball (117) in 2025. Pittsburgh has the young rotation ready to dominate next season, but needs far better hitters in the lineup.
After a few misses so far this offseason, the best option remaining for the Pirates is none other than free agent third baseman Eugenio Suárez.
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.
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 and Schwarber, for four years, $125 million, showing that they are serious about spending this offseason.
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 recent misses.
Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report named the Pirates as the best fit for Suárez in free agency and that he's a much more realistic option than Schwarber, but that they'll have to fight off big market teams.
"There hasn't been any noise about the Pirates making a run at Suárez, but he's a more realistic option for them than Schwarber ever was," Rymer wrote. "He was always going to have big-market bidders, whereas the weirdly tight-fisted [Boston] Red Sox are the only one that has been tied to Suárez."
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.