Suarez, who will turn 35 during Spring Training, could be the ideal candidate. The length of his deal is limited by his age and he is one of the best relievers around. Suarez has posted a sub-3.00 ERA in three of his four seasons since signing with the Padres in the 2021-22 offseason. That includes a 2.97 rating over a career-high 69 2/3 innings this past season. He led the National League with 40 saves in 45 attempts and has an MLB-high 76 saves over the last two years.
One of the hardest throwers in the sport, Suarez averaged 98.6 MPH on his fastball. He has dominated hitters from both sides of the plate over the course of his career, as his changeup gives him a weapon against left-handed hitters. He struck out 27.9% of opponents this year, while his walk rate of 5.9% was a career-low. Suarez doesn’t get as many whiffs as you might expect based on the speed — he hasn’t actually thrown a breaking ball in the last two years — but it’s hard to argue with the track record.
MLBTR predicted Suarez would get a three-year contract worth $48 million. A three-year contract should be the ceiling, and it’s not out of the question that he could be limited to two years at a higher annual value. As Front Office subscribers can find on MLBTR’s Contract Tracker, there have been only two three-year deals for a 35-year-old reliever in the past decade. That amounted to 7 to 8 million dollars annually, well below what Suarez will earn. Not since Mariano Rivera a reliever this age has a three-year contract with eight-figure salaries. Suarez will likely focus on breaking that streak.
Edwin Diaz is the top free agent reliever, but he is reportedly looking for a five-year contract approaching or exceeding $100 million. Suarez is the next best option. Pete Fairbanks, Lucas Weaver, Brad Keller, Kyle Finnegan and old friend Kenley Jansen are also not signed. While Fairbanks has been a Dodger target in previous trade talks, Woo and Ardaya report that LA is not among several teams in his market as a free agent.
The Dodgers have lefties Alex Vesia And Tanner Scott as their main internal lever arms. Blake Treinen, Brock Stewart And Brusdar Graterol come up with performance and/or injury questions. They saw Michael Kopech And Kirby Yates hit free agency and non-tendered Eva Philips last month.
Cutting Phillips was a formality as he headed into his final season of arbitration control. The former closer underwent Tommy John surgery in June and may miss the entire 2026 season. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times last month that the Dodgers were interested in re-signing the righty, likely to a two-year contract. Friedman said Phillips may prefer to wait to sign until he resumes the throwing program, so it’s possible he remains on the open market through the winter.
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