The fit is clear, as Pittsburgh finished 30th out of 30 teams in home runs (117), slugging percentage (.350) and isolated power (.119). Suarez finished fifth in the majors in both home runs (49) and isolated power (.248), and his .526 SLG ranked 10th among all qualified hitters. In terms of pure offensive production, Suarez was dragged down with a .228 batting average and a .298 on-base percentage, and he continued to post one of the higher strikeout rates of any hitter in the game.
Suarez’s 2025 production dropped dramatically after the deadline trade that sent him from the Diamondbacks to the Mariners. While he put up bigger numbers in an earlier stint in Seattle and Suarez’s strikeouts have made him prone to streaky play, the fact that Suarez has regressed so much after moving to a pitcher-friendly ballpark should be a concern for the Pirates about how Suarez might fare at PNC Park. Suarez is also 34 years old, so a steady decline is a risk when signing a player his age to a multi-year deal.
MLB Trade Rumors ranked Suarez 20th on our list of the top 50 free agents this offseason, predicting he would sign a three-year, $63 million free agent deal. While the projection took into account Suarez’s age, one-dimensional offense and increasingly shaky defense at third base, the fact is that Suarez’s raw power is hard to find. Suarez’s highly regarded reputation as a clubhouse leader is another plus for a young Pirates team that could use some experience on and off the pitch.
As often mentioned when discussing the Pirates and any target on the open market: Francisco LirianoThe three-year, $39 million contract from December 2014 remains the largest contract the Bucs have ever given to a free agent. Ryan O’Hearn‘s two-year, $29 million deal from a few weeks ago at least approached that dubious record, and the Pirates’ nine-figure bid for Kyle Schwarber from earlier this winter indicates that Pittsburgh is willing to stretch its limited budget to solve its offensive woes.
Between signing O’Hearn and the transactions that entailed Brandon Lowe, Jhostynxon GarciaAnd Jake Mangum in black-and-gold, the Bucs have already done a lot to shore up their worst offense in the league. Installing Suarez at third base would be the biggest move yet, and the fact that Suarez’s market has seemed somewhat limited thus far could work in the Pirates’ favor.
The Mariners, Red Sox and Cubs are the only teams known to be interested in Suarez, although there may be a number of other clubs on the periphery. Seattle has enough other candidates for third base that it seems like their interest in hot corner help is limited to Suarez specifically, with the Sox and Cubs being two of them. Alex Bregman‘s suitors. Kazuma Okamoto was known as one of Pittsburgh’s top targets, but the third baseman signed with the Blue Jays instead, increasing the likelihood that the Pirates would make a run at Suarez.
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