NL Central rival lands slugging third baseman Brewers fans have been interested in

This is the time of the offseason when the Milwaukee Brewers have been known to strike on free agents whose markets haven't materialized as the players hoped they would. Back in 2019, the Brewers swooped in and signed both Yasmani Grandal and Mike Moustakas to one-year "prove-it" deals because the two players didn't receive the type of offers they were expecting earlier in the offseason. Similarly, the Brewers' signing of Rhys Hoskins to a one-year contract with a player option was a result of the veteran first baseman not receiving the interest that he was expecting during the 2023-24 offseason.

Milwaukee can't afford the long-term contracts that are handed out to top-tier free agents during the early parts of the offseason. The risk of enduring several years of paying an unproductive aging player a top-tier salary is simply one the Brewers can't afford to take. They can, however, assume that risk for one or two seasons, which is why they have often capitalized on the "prove-it" deals that pop up during the final weeks of the offseason.

Last night, Milwaukee's NL Central rivals, the Cincinnati Reds, capitalized on one of these one-year deals, leaving Brewers fans wondering why their team didn't make an offer before their division rivals pounced on the deal. As revealed by ESPN's Jeff Passan on the social media platform X last night, the Reds have agreed to a one-year, $15 million contract with slugging third baseman Eugenio Suárez.

Cincinnati Reds sign Brewers' trade deadline target Eugenio Suárez to one-year, $15 million deal

There's no denying that the Brewers could add a little slug to their lineup this offseason. Yes, Milwaukee has embraced an identity that differs from most contenders, relying on an offensive approach that focuses on getting on-base and wreaking havoc on the basepaths rather than putting the ball over the fence. However, there's no doubt having a couple of sluggers in the middle of their lineup would help the Brewers produce even more runs than they already do.

As a result, dating back to the 2025 trade deadline, when Suárez was the best slugger available, Brewers fans have been asking their front office to acquire the 34-year-old third baseman. Suárez launched 49 homers last year between his time with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Seattle Mariners -- the team that ultimately landed him at the deadline. That kind of power would have an significant impact on the power-poor Brewers lineup, and given the contract that Suárez ended up signing, the Milwaukee faithful are confused why their team didn't capitalize on his quiet market this offseason.

Presumably, if the Brewers truly believed in Suárez's profile, the ownership could have broken the bank to acquire the veteran infielder. However, there are a few glaring red flags in Suárez's profile that are easy to overlook if the Brewers planned to use him as a DH, but seeing as they already have Christian Yelich filling that position, it would have been difficult to justify adding Suárez to the Milwaukee's elite defensive group. Once a fine defender, Suárez's defensive abilities fell off a cliff in 2025. He posted -6 Defensive Runs Saved and -3 Outs Above Average. As a result, despite possessing prolific power, Suárez was worth just 0.8 bWAR more than Caleb Durbin in 2025, despite playing 23 more games.

At the plate, while Suárez's power catches the eye, his strikeout numbers are nothing short of concerning. With a 33.3% whiff rate and a 29.8% strikeout rate in 2025, Suárez ranked in the 5th and 4th percentile in all of baseball last season. Yes, he barrelled a ton of baseballs last year, and sent 49 of them over the fence, but there's concern that Suárez's production is about to take a massive hit, given the glaring issues in his underlying metrics. After all, there's a reason why a player who hit nearly 50 homers last year was only able to secure a one-year deal.

Therefore, while there's no doubt that Cincinnati's offense improved with the addition of Suárez last night, the move would have been very uncharacteristic for the calculated Brewers front office. Yes, it was an opportunity to add some power to their lineup on a reasonable contract, and Suárez could absolutely end up being a force in the middle of the Reds' lineup, but if much of the league was unwilling to sign the aging infielder, maybe the Brewers were correct to steer clear.