Reds insider fuels optimism with a move that could ease sting of Kyle Schwarber miss

Cincinnati Reds fans are still bummed following last week's MLB Winter Meetings. The hopes and dreams of a Kyle Schwarber homecoming came crashing down after the Middletown native went back to the Philadelphia Phillies on a five-year, $150 million contract.

The Reds were said to be in the mix for Schwarber's services, but their $125 million offer came up short. Schwarber would've been a perfect fit for a Reds lineup that's severely lacking power, but now Nick Krall and the front office need to regroup and attempt to fill that void another way.

Reds insider C. Trent Rosecrans on a recent episode of the Riverfront Territory Podcast floated an idea that could help. While Reds fans were hoping to see Schwarber come back to his roots in southwest Ohio, reuniting with former third baseman Eugenio Suárez could be a nice consolation prize.

Eugenio Suárez would bring some power to the Reds lineup in 2026

Rosecrans was quick to point out that the fit may not be ideal, suggesting that Suárez — who's been a third baseman throughout most of his Major League career — could act strictly as the Reds DH. Cincinnati has Gold Glove Award-winner Ke'Bryan Hayes locked in at the hot corner, while the duo of Spencer Steer and Sal Stewart are expected to battle for starts at first base in 2026.

Suárez's positional fit can be questioned, but his bat is exactly what the Reds need in 2026. Geno mashed 49 homers in 2025 while splitting time between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners. Suárez even had a four-homer game during an extra-innings lost in late-April.

Based purely on the power numbers, Suárez and Schwarber share a lot of similarities. Both ranked in the top one-third of Major League Baseball in terms of expected slugging percentage, barrel rate, and hard hit rate, though Schwarber did hold the edge in all three categories. Suárez and Schwarber each have a tendency to strikeout — ranking among the 11th percentile or worse in both strikeout and whiff rate — and both players have reached the point in their careers where their defense has become suspect.

As Rosecrans pointed out, Suárez was on the Reds' radar at the MLB trade deadline back in July, and he's well regarded for his clubhouse presence and veteran leadership. Suárez would also come much cheaper than Schwarber with MLB Trade Rumors assuming Geno can score a three-year, $63 million deal while Kiley McDaniel of ESPN predicts he might be looking at a two-year, $45 million deal.

The Reds need to find a way to add some pop to the lineup, and Suárez would undoubtedly provide that. It's unlikely that a Suárez homecoming would bring the same type of energy to the fanbase that a Schwarber signing would have, but Geno was beloved during his time with the Reds. A reunion with the All-Star slugger certainly merits consideration and would help ease the sting of missing out on Schwarber.