Pirates Should Claim Reds Slugger Off Waivers
In this story:
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates need some power and a right-handed bat in their lineup and one rival team has a player who would address that issue.
The Cincinnati Reds reportedly placed third baseman Eugenio Suárez on outright waivers, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, a cost-cutting measure from the National League Central team.
Pittsburgh, or any other MLB team, can claim him off waivers for a 48-hour period, otherwise, Suárez will stay with Cincinnati unless they designate him for assignment.
The Pirates probably wouldn't go after Suárez, but there is good reason they should, at the very least, consider it, with a month left in the season.
Why the Pirates Should Add Suárez Off Waivers
Suárez was someone the Pirates targeted this offseason, as a right-handed power bat that could add home runs to a lineup that hit the least in 2025,
He could also play third base, a spot Pittsburgh needed depth at, after trading Ke'Bryan Hayes to the Reds at the 2025 deadline.
The Pirates missed out on signing Suárez, who ended up joining the Reds on a one-year, $15 million deal, reuniting with the team where he spent seven seasons from 2015-21.
Pittsburgh instead signed designated hitter Marcell Ozuna to a one-year, $12 million deal, who hit poorly and didn't live up to expectations and ended up getting DFA'd after the trade deadline.
Suárez hasn't exactly hit the way the Reds would've hoped, batting .208/.295/.410 for a career-low OPS of .705 and they are at the bottom of the NL Central standings at 63-71.
He has been much better following the All-Star break, slashing .207/.315/.455 for an OPS of .770, with six doubles, eight home runs and 22 RBI, with his OPS improved by almost 100 points, .673 before the All-Star break.
Suárez also has a .500 slugging percentage in the month of August, with five home runs and 18 RBI, capped off with his grand slam he hit in the ninth inning of the 10-9 win over the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Aug. 26, a seven-run inning for the Reds.
The Pirates have had serious improvements in their power this year, but have struggled recently, with their 23 home runs over the past 30 days tied for fourth-least in baseball, and just three home runs in the past week.
Pittsburgh also doesn't have any right-handed power hitters on the roster besides rookie right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez, who has one home run in the past month, and also with fellow rookie in shortstop Konnor Griffin out injured.
Suárez has also hit well at PNC Park in his career, batting .279/.363/.517 for an OPS of .880 and 14 home runs, second-most of any ballpark that wasn't his home team.
He's mostly been a designated hitter, but can also play third base if needed, although he's better in the former role.
Would the Pirates Actually Claim Suárez Off Waivers?
Any team that claims Suárez off of waivers would have to pay the remainder of his salary, a little less than $3 million per Rosenthal.
That's not an incredible amount of money, but for one month of baseball, most teams probably won't take on that player, unless they desperately need him.
The Pirates are 64-70 and 7.5 games back in the National League Wild Card race, giving them a small chance of even making the postseason at this point.
Adding Suárez may look like a desperate move to some, but desperate times call for desperate measures and the Pirates could entertain this.
The Pirates will likely not do it, due to financial reasons, but there's no doubt they need better power output going forward and especially a right-handed power bat going into 2027.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
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.