Why bring that up?
It was as obvious as the wishbone-C on their uniform chests that the Reds hungered for a consistent power hitter.
Elly De La Cruz led the team in home runs with 22 and hit only one the second half of the season. And he led the team with 86 RBI.
Enter, at last, Eugenio Suarez, sort of like the return of a favorite son.
The Reds are investing $15 million for one year in the hopes that Suarez drags along the big bat the club needs in the middle of its batting order.
For most of the winter, the Reds seemed to mostly sign player after player to minor league contracts with invites to the major league spring training camp.
And fans were restless wondering, “Where is the power bat the Reds need?”
The club and Kyle Schwarber teased the fans with an outside chance that he might sign with his hometown team.
Didn’t happen. Nothing happened — until this week.
And Suarez is a reasonable facsimile of Schwarber. Schwarber hit 56 home runs and drove in 133. Suarez hits 49 home runs and drove in 118.
Both strike out a lot — Suarez 199, Schwarber 197. Both put up low batting averages — Schwarber .240, Suarez .228.
Both own defensive deficiencies and are best-suited as designated hitters.
So finally perhaps the Reds are showing the fans that they just might be in it to win it. Play ball to win it all.
Well, maybe not all, but by signing Suarez they are least trying to take a step forward to stay close to the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers and trying to hold off the Pittsburgh Pirates, who have made several positive moves this offseason.
Credit: David Zalubowski
Credit: David Zalubowski
Suarez fits the Reds domain perfectly. He is a third baseman by trade, but Cincinnati’s incumbent third baseman, Ke’Bryan Hayes, carries one of baseball’s best defensive gloves.
So Suarez mostly fits in the lineup as a designated hitter in the clean-up position. He furnishes protection in the batting order for De La Cruz, meaning pitchers no longer can avoid Elly’s bat and pitch around him.
With Suarez as DH, the Reds batting order should look something like this:
TJ Friedl (CF), Matt McLain (2B,), Elly De La Cruz (SS), Suarez (DH) Sal Stewart (1B), Spencer Steer (LF), Tyler Stephenson (C), Noelvi Marte (RF), Ke’Bryan Hayes (3B).
There is an additional upside to adding the 34-year-old Venezuelan.
The Reds lack veteran clubhouse leadership and Suarez fits snugly in that role. During his previous tenure with the Reds (2015-2021), Suarez was liked and admired by all.
When he wasn’t smiling ... well, he was never not smiling whether he went 4-for-5 with two homers or 0-for-5 with three strikeouts.
When the Reds traded him and Jesse Winker to Seattle in the spring of 2022, teammate Joey Votto said, “I’m so sorry to see him go. He is one of the best guys I ever played with.”
The Reds parted ways with Suarez after his semi-routine season in 2021, when he played with a bad shoulder but still hit 31 homers and drove in 79.
Credit: Aaron Doster
Credit: Aaron Doster
Suarez was in tears and could barely speak. When he could, he said, “I don’t want to leave Cincinnati. I always thought I would be here my entire career. I’m thankful for them giving me a chance. Maybe I’ll come back and finish my career here.”
He is back, for at least one year, although he and the team have a mutual option for 2027.
Suarez’s best year for the Reds was 2019 when he hit 49 home runs and drove in 102 with a .271/.358/.572 slash line.
He also led the National League with 189 strikeouts and that’s something the Reds are going to have to live with, just as they lived with Adam Dunn when he was a consistent 40-homer hitter with 190 to 220 strikeouts.
Suarez also led the American League in strikeouts in successive years with Seattle —196 in 2022 and 214 in 2023.
There will be days when Suarez hits two home runs and drives in five runs. There will be days when he goes 0-for-4 and strikes out three times.
But every time he steps into the Great American Ball Park batter’s box, he is a threat to shatter a window in the faux steamboat above the center field wall.
It is definitely something the Reds missed last season and the best part of the deal is that CEO Bob Castellini permitted Nick Krall to invest $15 million in what the team needed. And it shows the fans they are thinking as much about winning as giving away bobbleheads.
One question, though. The $15 million pushed Krall way above what he said his budget is. Does that mean a trade might be ahead to divest the team of excess payroll?
With a roster overstuffed with solid pitching, the Reds are positioned well to perhaps add another bat. While a team never had enough pitching, it also never has enough hitting.
Suarez can be productive, but is he enough?
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