Reds sign familiar All-Star fans have been begging for and it shifts everything

All it took was the calendar flipping to the month of February for the Cincinnati Reds to finally pull off the blockbuster free agent deal fans had been begging for all offseason. The Reds agreed to a one-year, $15 million deal with free agent slugger Eugenio Suárez on Sunday. According to ESPN insider Jeff Passan, the deal includes a mutual option for the 2027 season. New York Post columnist Jon Heyman is reporting that the mutual-option is worth $16 million.

Suárez had been languishing on the free agent market since the MLB offseason began despite mashing 49 home runs and racking up 118 RBI in 2025. Suárez, a well-known fan and clubhouse favorite, brings that middle-of-the-order bat Cincinnati's lineup had been missing.

Suárez spent the first-half of his career in Cincinnati, but was traded to the Seattle Mariners before the 2022 season along with former outfielder Jesse Winker. After two years in Seattle, Geno was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2024, but reunited with the Mariners at the trade deadline last summer. The Reds were rumored to be chasing Suárez ahead of the July 31 deadline, but settled on Ke'Bryan Hayes instead.

Reds reunite with former All-Star Eugenio Suárez

Reds fans should expect to see Suárez take on a DH role in 2026 while also spending time at first and third base. Geno was worth 11 outs above average (OAA) at the hot corner in 2023, but his defense has tailed off lately.

The Reds will have the trio of Hayes, Spencer Steer, and Sal Stewart jockeying for reps at the corner infield spots once spring camp opens. Steer's ability to play left field will surely help Terry Francona allocate playing time, and though he turned into a Gold Glove-caliber defender at first base last season, Steer will likely log plenty of time in the outfield in order to help put the best lineup on the field.

Suárez isn't a flawless addition by any means — he's led the league in strikeouts three times over his Major League career and had almost 200 Ks in 2025. But the Reds haven't had this type of pop in the middle of the batting order since, well, since Suárez was in the lineup back in 2021.

This reunion could pay huge dividends for the Reds in 2026 and it gives Elly De La Cruz the type of protection that could help to turn him from an All-Star to an MVP candidate.