The Cincinnati Reds have signed Eugenio Suarez to a 1-year contract worth $15 million, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.com. It’s a reunion between the two, as Geno previously spent parts of 7 seasons with the Reds in which he posted 12.8 bWAR and socked a mighty 189 homers.
He’s fresh off a 2025 season in which he swatted 49 homers in time split between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners, his move at the trade deadline to the not-Reds a decidely confusing aspect of this particular deal. You’ll recall that instead of chasing Geno when the Reds desperately needed offense for their playoff push last season, Cincinnati instead pivoted to a different 3B in Ke’Bryan Hayes of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the latter of which is under contract for years to be a glove-first 3B that anchors the defense.
Now, Geno returns with 3B already claimed, and the rest of the Cincinnati offense and infield will be one that will need figuring out. That’s meant in a positive way, though, as Sal Stewart is in play at 1B, 3B, DH, and potentially 2B, while Spencer Steer has the ability (and experience) to play just about anywhere but SS and CF. Now, with Geno in the mix again, the Reds will need to rotate him through DH, 3B, and potentially 1B on some days, too.
Whether or not this means the Reds are done with their payroll situation remains to be seen, however. At this juncture, they’re slated for a payroll of roughly $126 million, which is slightly higher than the roughly $118 mark they were operating on last season. The expectation was that they’d land somewhere around the same level, and while that $8 million difference is just about at the same level, there could still be another move from the Reds that takes money off the books in the same vein as the Gavin Lux deal just last month.
Regardless, it’s a damn exciting day to be a Reds fan, as Geno and his gum-bubbles are back in town.