Suarez, 35 in March, was an All-Star in recent seasons. He has a 2.87 ERA and a 3.17 FIP with 76 saves in 134 2/3 innings of work in those two campaigns. This year, he struck out 27.9% of his opponents with a 5.9% walk rate, giving him a 21.9% K-BB ratio, which ranked 26th among qualified relievers this year. Those excellent numbers are enough to make him one of the best relievers in the league, although the right-hander’s age and imperfect track record (including a mid-2023 season in which injury limited him to just 26 appearances) somewhat limit the length of his contract. MLBTR projected Suarez to a three-year, $48 million deal as the #21 free agent on our Top 50 MLB Free Agents list for the offseason.
That would be a lot of money for a team like the Braves to pay for a closer when they have been closer for a while Raisel Iglesias in the crease, especially when Atlanta is also looking for help at shortstop and in the rotation. That said, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time the club spent significant dollars on their bullpen. Iglesias, Joe Jimenez And Aaron Bummer both already have important contracts, and players like it Pierce Johnson And Will Smith Atlanta has guaranteed significant dollars in the past.
The Cubs seem to be a much clearer fit for Suarez, at least on paper. They lost Brad Keller, Drew Pomeranz, Caleb Thielbarand Andrew Kittedge out of their bullpen this offseason. While they were drawing Phil Maton last month and Daniel Palencia remains a viable slot option, there’s still a lot of talent to lose from the late-inning relief mix. That doesn’t make it surprising that Chicago would be in the mix for a player like Suarez, though it’s worth noting that the Cubs typically shy away from big multi-year commitments to relievers. Maton’s two-year deal is actually the first multi-year guarantee the team has signed a reliever for since then Craig Kimbrel in 2019, but a deal for Suarez would be on a whole different level; his annual salary would certainly rival the $14.5 million total guarantee Maton received.
The Mets and Blue Jays remain perhaps the most obvious options for righties. Although New York brought Williams into the fold, they remained involved with Diaz even after that signing. Now that Diaz has settled in Los Angeles, it’s easy to see the Mets pivoting toward Suarez to strengthen the back end of their bullpen, especially after Williams had inconsistent ninth-inning results last year as a member of the Yankees. It has long been known that the Jays are looking for a new high-leverage reliever to pair with Jeff Hoffman in the late innings.
The number of quality closers on the market is declining rapidly, and if Toronto hopes to add a high-end reliever with slot experience, Suarez is undoubtedly the best option right now. Keller and Tyler Rogers Are there still alternate impact options available that lack that ninth-inning track record while closers like it Pete Fairbanks And Lucas Weaver are still available, but are showing far less impressive seasons than the ones Suarez just delivered in San Diego. The Marlins and White Sox are among the other teams known to be involved in the slot market this winter, although it would be a surprise if either spent aggressively enough to land someone of Suarez’s caliber.
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