Cincinnati Reds should sign Eugenio Suarez to a multi-year deal

The Cincinnati Reds need to be able to plan financially for future years and the first step is to sign Eugenio Suarez.

When looking up and down the Cincinnati Reds’ roster, there isn’t an easier decision to make than to sign Eugenio Suarez to multi-year extension.  There are question marks across the pitching rotation.  There are questions in the outfield, but there is no question that Suarez can hit.

Suarez came over from the Detroit Tigers in the deal for All-Star starter Alfredo Simon.  Simon is out of baseball and Suarez is hitting his own.  As he approaches his first year of arbitration, Suarez is only 26 years old and has hit double digit home runs in the majors in each of the past three years.

The secret to Suarez’s success is that each year he has looked at more pitches.  It allows the pitcher to walk you more times.  It also allows you to have a greater chance of seeing a mistake pitch from the pitcher to drive.

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The other secret to Suarez’s success is his hard work.  He went from an unplayable shortstop to a playable one and from the worst third baseman in the National League to the best in the NL Central defensively.  Suarez is worth the risk.

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The Cincinnati Reds are a small market team and they can no longer afford to allow assets to expire.

Drew Storen.  Zack Cozart.  Ross Ohlendorf.  What do they all have in common?  They are all players that had some value at the trade deadline the past two seasons that the Reds didn’t move.  They have an All-Star shortstop with nowhere to play him next year and they didn’t move him!

Suarez is different because with an extension he can be moved or kept.  He possesses the ability to change positions.  Suarez is the type of young player the Reds to need to get under control for multiple seasons.

Suarez is most likely the eventual replacement for Joey Votto at first base.  If he isn’t though, he could move back to shortstop or transition to the outfield.  It would be interesting to see if Suarez could cover center field, once top prospect Nick Senzel is ready for the majors.

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Regardless of what happens with Senzel, the Reds need Suarez for at least 2018.  Additionally, signing him to a long term deal helps the Reds plan financially internally and makes Suarez a stronger asset externally.  Now is the time for the Reds to sign Suarez to a contract extension.