Reds insider eases salary fears after Eugenio Suárez signing

Well this is a welcome relief.

Drew Koch

Seattle Mariners third baseman Eugenio Suarez (28) hits a single / John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The Cincinnati Reds finally pulled off the blockbuster addition that fans had been begging for all offseason. According to reports, the Reds signed Eugenio Suárez to a one-year, $15 million deal with a mutual option for the 2027 season.

The addition of Suárez brings that middle-of-the-order thump the Reds' lineup was missing, and the reunion has already excited the fanbase. Suárez was beloved during his time in Cincinnati, and several Reds fans believe he could be the missing link to help get the team back to the postseason in 2026.

A cloud, however, hangs over the Suárez signing, as Nick Krall and Reds' management have constantly cited the organization's desire to keep payroll at the same level it was last season. Based on FanGraphs' projections, Geno's $15 million salary will push the Reds $7 million over the team's estimated end-of-year payroll ($119 million) from 2025.

This has obviously sparked fear among the Reds' fanbase who now worry about which player(s) the front office plans to ditch in order to keep the 2026 payroll in line with last season's number. Will Cincinnati trade Brady Singer? Is Nick Lodolo on the chopping the block? What about Tyler Stephenson?

Reds' deal for Eugenio Suárez will not require the team to shed payroll

Thankfully, Cincinnati reporter Charlie Goldsmith has some good news for Reds Country. According to the FOX19 contributor, sources close to the team indicated the Suárez signing will not require the Reds to shed payroll.

Per Goldsmith, "They’re doing something fans have been asking for since 2022, the year the Reds traded Suárez — pushing payroll up a notch, investing in the team and spending more aggressively to build a winner."

Fans, however, shouldn't expect to see any more "big" moves on the part of the Reds front office. In other words, what you see if what you get. But what they have is a top-10 (or better) starting rotation, a more-than-capable group of relievers, and a lineup that now features a 30-plus home run threat in the middle of the batting order.

As the offseason waned, Reds fans were bracing for the worst — and who can blame them? Time and time again player salaries have handcuffed the front office and prevented Krall and Co. from making significant upgrades to the roster. But it would appear that Bob Castellini and the Reds ownership groups sees the value in adding Suárez, and now it's up to the players on the field to prove them right.

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.