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Reds sign hometown pitcher in bullpen revamp for 2024

The Reds brought in another lefty for the bullpen.
Drew Koch
Drew Koch

Blog Red Machine

Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Brent Suter (39) / Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

So maybe the Cincinnati Reds weren't done making moves after all. To be fair, Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall said that the club was done making "major" moves. He did leave the door open to improve the team's bullpen and bench.

Krall certainly did that on Thursday afternoon with the addition of Brent Suter. According to Robert Murray of FanSided, Suter and Reds agreed on a one-year/$3-million deal that pays the left-handed reliever $2.5 million in 2024 with a $3.5-million club-option for 2025 and a $500,000 buyout.

This is yet another addition to an improving Reds roster. After going 82-80 and surprising most of the baseball pundits and experts last season, Cincinnati is looking to move up the ranks and be one of the top teams in the National League next season. Suter's addition will definitely help them accomplish that goal.

Reds sign Brent Suter to one-year contract

Suter should have been on Krall's wishlist from the first day of the offseason. A graduate of Moeller High School, Suter grew up in Cincinnati and will be pitching inside Great American Ball Park next season.

The addition gives the Reds another high-leverage left-hander to deploy out of the bullpen. Suter will join Sam Moll and Alex Young. Moll was added at the trade deadline just last August, and Young agreed to terms on a one-year deal ahead of Thursday's arbitration filing deadline.

Suter was 4-3 with a 3.38 ERA last season while spending the year in Colorado. Suter pitches to contact. In 2023, the southpaw was among the best in the league in terms of average exit velocity according to Baseball Savant. Suter also did a good job of keeping the ball on the ground (46.9-percent ground ball rate).

Suter joins fellow free agent relievers Buck Farmer, Emilio Pagán, and Nick Martinez, as the Reds look to rework their bullpen after extreme overuse a season ago. Alexis Diaz will undoubtedly operate out of the backend, along with Fernando Cruz and Lucas Sims.

Bringing Suter back to the Queen City was a superb addition on the part of Krall and Reds front office. While it's assumed Cincinnati will remain relatively quiet, don't count out the Reds this offseason.

Drew Koch

Drew Koch

Drew Koch has been an MLB Staff Writer since January 2024 and part of the FanSided Network since June 2018. Drew's contributions have been published on Blog Red Machine, Friars on Base, BoSox Injection, Lombardi Avenue, Wildcat Blue Nation, Motor City Bengals, and many other sites within the FanSided Network. When he's not cheering wildly for the Cincinnati Reds or the Kentucky Wildcats, Drew enjoys fishing, golfing, playing cribbage and other card games, listening to country and classical music, and spending time with his family and friends.