Reds All-Star Eugenio Suárez Ranked Among MLB’s Best Third Basemen

CINCINNATI – MLB Network has been releasing its top-10 players by position leading up to the start of spring training. They released their top-10 third basemen on Wednesday and a familiar face has made the list.

Eugenio Suárez comes in at the ninth-ranked third baseman, just ahead of Austin Riley of the Atlanta Braves and behind Isaac Paredes of the Houston Astros. Suárez signed a one-year, $15 million deal with the Reds on Tuesday.

Since the start of the 2023 season, Suárez leads all third basemen with 101 home runs and 315 RBIs. He ranks sixth in slugging percentage at .462 and eighth in Wins Above Replacement at 9.1. With the Diamondbacks last season, he slugged .576 with 36 home runs, 87 RBIs, and a 142 OPS+ through July. He was traded to the Seattle Mariners at the trade deadline, and there was a dip in his performance. He slugged just .428 with 13 home runs, and he was a below-league-average hitter with a 94 OPS+. That dip in performance can be attributed to him being hit in the hand by a pitch on two separate occasions. He got hit during the All-Star Game and another just days before he was traded.

The Reds were rumored to acquire Suárez at the trade deadline in 2025, but opted to trade for Ke'Bryan Hayes from the Pittsburgh Pirates instead. That move may turn out to be a key one. Hayes gives the Reds an anchor on defense at third, giving Suarez the opportunity to play primarily as the designated hitter.

Nick Krall provided an update on where we will see Suárez and other infielders play in Spring Training and potentially during the season.

"I think first off, we're going to go into spring training and let some guys get some acclimation to some positions," Krall said. "You know, Hayes, obviously, gold glove third baseman, and he's a top-notch defender at third, and he's gotten better offensively when he came over here, so we think that he's got some room to run. He's going to be mostly at third base, though, and then we've got Geno, who's going to get reps at first, third, and DH."

"Sal's gonna get reps at first, third, second, and DH. Spence is going to get reps at first, second, left, and right. So I think you're going to be able to piece everything together, but it's going to be some guys who are going to get some reps at different positions, and we'll see how it goes in spring training."

Pitchers and catchers report to camp on Monday, February 9, with the full squad required to report by the following Monday.

You can see the full list here.

Eugenio Suárez is the No. 9 third baseman on @MLBNow's #Top10RightNow. pic.twitter.com/PLUVTY9AAD
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 5, 2026

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