Let's crank it back up with stunning news...definitely another bat with pop in the lineup along with Stewart.
Quote:All it took was the calendar flipping to the month of February for the Cincinnati Reds to finally pull off the blockbuster free agent deal fans had been begging for all offseason. The Reds agreed to a one-year, $15 million deal with free agent slugger Eugenio Suárez on Sunday. According to ESPN insider Jeff Passan, the deal includes a mutual option for the 2027 season. New York Post columnist Jon Heyman is reporting that the mutual-option is worth $16 million.
Suárez had been languishing on the free agent market since the MLB offseason began despite mashing 49 home runs and racking up 118 RBI in 2025. Suárez, a well-known fan and clubhouse favorite, brings that middle-of-the-order bat Cincinnati's lineup had been missing.
Suárez spent the first-half of his career in Cincinnati, but was traded to the Seattle Mariners before the 2022 season along with former outfielder Jesse Winker. After two years in Seattle, Geno was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2024, but reunited with the Mariners at the trade deadline last summer. The Reds were rumored to be chasing Suárez ahead of the July 31 deadline, but settled on Ke'Bryan Hayes instead.
Reds fans should expect to see Suárez take on a DH role in 2026 while also spending time at first and third base. Geno was worth 11 outs above average (OAA) at the hot corner in 2023, but his defense has tailed off lately.
The Reds will have the trio of Hayes, Spencer Steer, and Sal Stewart jockeying for reps at the corner infield spots once spring camp opens. Steer's ability to play left field will surely help Terry Francona allocate playing time, and though he turned into a Gold Glove-caliber defender at first base last season, Steer will likely log plenty of time in the outfield in order to help put the best lineup on the field.
Suárez isn't a flawless addition by any means — he's led the league in strikeouts three times over his Major League career and had almost 200 Ks in 2025. But the Reds haven't had this type of pop in the middle of the batting order since, well, since Suárez was in the lineup back in 2021.
This reunion could pay huge dividends for the Reds in 2026 and it gives Elly De La Cruz the type of protection that could help to turn him from an All-Star to an MVP candidate.
dh geno
c stephenson
1b ces?
2b mcclain
ss elly
3b hayes
lf steer
cf tj
rf marte
Stewart has most likely moved ahead of CES on the depth chart, but of course everything is subject to change...
I like Geno a lot, but I'm probably not as thrilled as many Reds fans. Worth the gamble at 1/$15M, but I've learned you really have to cross your fingers with 35 year-olds (in July) staying healthy and productive.
(This post was last modified: 02-01-2026 11:01 PM by Bearhawkeye.)
i wanted to name my boy sal after sal paradise from on the road but my wife said kids would call him a cow because i guess there's some bovinity about the name. irritated me. she grows up around a bunch of farm animals and kids are even going to know what a sow or whatever the hell it is in the freakin nasti. did the next best thing and named him after a frontiersman. i'm a big fan of ces. it'd be nice to get a full season out of him, albeit with less playing time
It's a lower dollar gamble for a small market team.
Hope you get the guy from the start of last year. Hope you don't get the guy from the second half of last season who was pretty bad. I do find it strange that the rest of baseball just wasn't that interested in him.
that is, peculiar. maybe no one else needed almost exactly what we needed? maybe there were clandestine agents' meetings at a covington schrempf club. maybe he really wanted to come back here. he'll get to team up with guys he got traded for
(02-03-2026 11:24 PM)Lush Wrote: that is, peculiar. maybe no one else needed almost exactly what we needed? maybe there were clandestine agents' meetings at a covington schrempf club. maybe he really wanted to come back here. he'll get to team up with guys he got traded for
Maybe his birth certificate really shows he's 46.
(This post was last modified: 02-07-2026 02:27 PM by rath v2.0.)
It’s how the Reds do. Commitment to win? Nah. Half measures to sell tickets to the carnival? Heck yeah! Plus we can roll out the ‘76 Big Red Machine again.
(03-06-2026 06:12 PM)RuckleSt Wrote: Matt McClain is leading the team in Hits, BA, OBP, HR, and RBI's. If he bounces back this year it could be a difference maker for this lineup.
Shoot, I'd take one-half better than last season. He was just awful at the plate. But yes, any semblance of McLain two season ago would be huge. I still think Sal's bat is going to be key for instant offense, along with Suarez hopefully...
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2026 Redlegs Season Thread
2026 Redlegs Season Thread 
