Tigers Were Wise to Pass on Free Agent Eugenio Suarez Despite Anger from Fans
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The Detroit Tigers entered the offseason once again with high hopes from fans that legitimate upgrades would be coming, and while some areas have gotten it, the offense certainly has not.
After pursuing him heavily a year ago, Detroit passed on Alex Bregman largely due to him being another year older not to mention the imminent arrival of prospects, and realistically, this was the only big bat they were linked to.
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Sitting out the sweepstakes for Bo Bichette, Kyle Tucker, Cody Bellinger and others, the Tigers seemed determined to run back the same lineup, but there was one final glimmer of hope that went out the window over the weekend.
After pursuing Eugenio Suárez at the trade deadline from the Arizona Diamondbacks only to pass due to price and be eliminated by him in the playoffs, Detroit got another chance this winter. Instead, he wound up with the Cincinnati Reds on a one-year deal, with fans furious that Scott Harris didn't hand out, but history will tell the story that Harris was correct on this one.
Tigers Made Correct Decision to Pass on Suarez Deal
Cincinnati's deal for Suárez was for $15 million for the 2026 season and also contained a mutual option for the 2027 season, which looking at the overall player the slugger was in 2025 looks on the surface like a major steal.
For a Detroit team with issues at third base and in need of a right-handed bat, on the surface passing on Suárez does not make a whole lot of sense. Looking a little bit deeper though, the 34-year-old would have a hard time being a major upgrade to this lineup for the price.
It cannot be ignored that his numbers cratered after the trade deadline and his deal to the Seattle Mariners, as well as the fact that this team is trying to cut down on strikeouts not add more of them. When assessing the numbers, Suárez did not make sense for this team right now.
Tigers Would Not Get $15M of Value from Suarez
For as great as Suárez was before the trade deadline for Arizona with a slash line of .248/.320/.576 with 36 home runs and 87 RBI in 106 games, he was equally bad after arriving in Seattle. He slashed just .189/.255/.428 with 79 strikeouts in 53 games, essentially becoming a complete home run or bust player.
This is a guy who has twice led the American League in K's and even all of baseball in 2019. Quite honestly, the absolute last thing this Detroit lineup needs is another player who either hits a home run or gets fanned.
The back half of 2025 does not suggest any hope that things would get better for the long ball specialist once he arrived at a notoriously stingy Comerica Park, either.
It's understandable why fans are upset with Suárez getting such an affordable short-term deal, but the simple fact of the matter is that he does not do enough to make this lineup better even on a low-risk deal like he landed with the Reds.
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Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.