Eugenio Suarez move helps Reds keep pace in crowded NL Central

By virtue of the St. Louis Cardinals finally committing to a rebuild for the first time this century, the NL Central figures to be a four-horse race in 2026.

The Milwaukee Brewers are the established power. They've won four of the last five division titles, led all of MLB in regular season wins in 2025 with 97, and field one of the deepest rosters in the sport. And yet, they've done nothing of note all offseason, save for trading their erstwhile ace Freddy Peralta to the Mets.

The Chicago Cubs have been aggressive in amending their roster, adding Alex Bregman and Edward Cabrera to a team that won 92 games a year ago. Still, they lost Kyle Tucker to the Los Angeles Dodgers and have had to replace nearly their entire bullpen in one winter.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been, shockingly, the most active team in the NL Central, adding Brandon Lowe and Ryan O'Hearn to a moribund offense and Gregory Soto and Mason Montgomery to their relief corps. But they remain an unfinished product, and whiffing on Eugenio Suárez in free agency could set them back a few paces.

Suárez, of course, wound up signing a one-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds instead. His presence in the middle of the lineup should greatly lift a squad that snuck into the playoffs last year, and it's reasonable to suggest that the Reds could make some noise late in the year while contending for their first division title since 2012.

Eugenio Suárez could tip NL Central Division in Reds' favor

Asking Suárez alone to help bridge the 14-win gap between the Reds and Brewers from last year is a fool's errand, but factor in what Milwaukee has failed to do this offseason, as well as Cincinnati's strong work in augmenting their bullpen, and the picture becomes a little clearer.

Suárez isn't quite the player that Bregman is, nor can he replicate what long-gone free-agent target Kyle Schwarber brings to the table. But he's able to hit for abundant amounts of power, which is exactly what the Reds needed. This was a case of a perfect free agent and team fit in free agency, and it's a huge breath of fresh air that the front office was able to get this deal across the finish line.

With a rotation rivaled by perhaps only the Pirates and a bullpen that may be the best in the division outside of Milwaukee, the Reds don't need their offense to produce at a historic rate to compete with the Cubs and Brewers. With some lineup protection now behind Elly De La Cruz, there should be enough firepower to keep games close enough to let the pitching staff take over.

Another above-average bat, especially in the outfield, would go a long way to solidifying that game plan even more. But, with Geno once again in tow, the Reds' path back toward divisional relevancy is suddenly less of a pipe dream than it's been in some time.