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Cincinnati Reds: Five players to be thankful for heading into next season

ByDrew Koch|
PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 05: Jose Peraza #9 of the Cincinnati Reds is greeted at home plate by Joey Votto #19 and Scooter Gennett #3 after hitting a solo home run in the first inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on September 5, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 05: Jose Peraza #9 of the Cincinnati Reds is greeted at home plate by Joey Votto #19 and Scooter Gennett #3 after hitting a solo home run in the first inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on September 5, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
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Cincinnati Reds
HIROSHIMA, JAPAN – NOVEMBER 13: Infiedler Eugenio Suarez #7 of the Cincinnati Reds hits a grounder in the bottom of 4th inning during the game four between Japan and MLB All Stars at Mazda Zoom Zoom Stadium Hiroshima on November 13, 2018 in Hiroshima, Japan. (Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images)

1. Eugenio Suárez, Third baseman

It’s debatable as to who was the MVP of the Cincinnati Reds last season. Both Eugenio Suárez and Scooter Gennett had phenomenal seasons. But while the debate for last year’s team MVP can rage on, there’s no doubt which player has the bigger upside. Suárez is the best player on this Reds team heading into 2019 and Cincinnati fans should be so thankful to have Geno on their team.

Suárez is one of the first third basemen in baseball. He was up for a Silver Slugger Award this season, and with the numbers he put up, the only surprise is that he didn’t win. Geno hit .283 with an OPS of .892. His OPS+ was an impressive 135 to go along with a team-leading 34 homers and 104 RBIs.

Suárez signed a seven-year, $66-million contract last offseason. The base salary for Suárez’s contract is only $7 million this season and it slowly increases over the life of the contract to $11 million in 2024, with an option-year in 2025. Rumors were flying earlier this offseason regarding a potential trade involving the Reds budding superstar, but they appear to be unfounded. I don’t see any way the Reds move on from the sweet deal that Geno signed just a year ago.

Suárez is the future of this club. He took a greater role with team leadership last season, has become a big hit with the Cincinnati fans and media, and made major strides on the field during the 2018 season, earning his first trip to the All-Star Game.

Geno even missed a few weeks earlier in the season with a broken thumb. He returned earlier than expected and got right back to being his old self at the plate. Suárez came within a game of tying the club record for most consecutive games with a home run when he put together a streak in late July of five straight games with a round-tripper.

Eugenio Suárez will be a big part of the Cincinnati Reds organization for the foreseeable future. His blonde hair, giant bubbles, and beaming personality make him a favorite among Reds fans. All of us should be thankful for players like Suárez and every single player that laces ’em up for our Redlegs. From Blog Red Machine, we’d like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, and Go Reds!

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