Reds rumors: Padres targeting Eugenio Suárez in a trade

The recent Reds rumors surrounding San Diego’s pursuit of Eugenio Suárez has to have fans buzzing. Would Cincinnati really move Suarez to acquire pitching?

The latest Reds rumors may surprise some of you, but after the initial shock, it may make more sense. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune is reporting that the Padres are looking for help at the hot corner. Believe it or not, they seem to have their focus on Cincinnati Reds third baseman Eugenio Suárez.

Suárez is a very talented player, on a relatively cheap contract, coming off an All-Star season. He hit .283 with a team-high 34 home runs and 104 RBIs with a 135 OPS+. Would the Reds really move on from Geno? It would take a lot in return, that’s for sure.

Suárez just signed a 7-year extension last offseason for only $66 million. That is one heck of a bargain for someone of his talent, so it should come as no surprise that another team might covet him, especially at that price.

Every fan knows that the Reds are in the hunt for starting pitching this offseason. The San Diego Padres have one of the deepest farm systems in Major League Baseball, and it might take three or more of their top pitching prospects to pry Suárez away from Cincinnati.

The Padres are stacked with talented pitching prospects. Mackenzie Gore, Chris Paddack, Adrian Morejan, and Michael Baez all rank among the Top 100 prospects in all of baseball. However, the Reds are not looking for up-and-coming prospects, they’re looking to win now.

Logan Allen, who finished the season at Triple-A El Paso, might be the only pitcher in the San Diego farm system ready to compete next season. The left-hander had elbow soreness a few years back. That would give me cause to pause if I were Dick Williams or Nick Krall.

The Padres did send the former first-round pick and Ohio-native Eric Lauer to the hill for his rookie campaign last season. In 23 starts, Lauer went 6-7 with a 4.34 ERA and -0.3 WAR. Fellow rookie Joey Lucchesi went to the bump for 26 starts during his rookie season in 2018. The young lefty went 8-9 with 4.08 ERA and 0.5 WAR.

The idea of trading Eugenio Suárez may seem inconceivable to some, myself included, but it makes sense. The Reds having Nick Senzel and Johnathan India, both former third basemen in college, sitting in the minor leagues. Senzel should be part of the Opening Day roster provided he’s healthy.

For now, we’ll just let the cake bake. I find it very hard to see the latest batch of Reds rumors amount to anything beyond a phone call, but who knows. Suárez has built quite a fan following since coming to Cincinnati and it’d be tough to see him traded away just as he’s starting to reach his potential.