Another roster option presented itself for the Philadelphia Phillies after Cincinnati Reds infielder Eugenio Suárez was placed on waivers this week, with news trickling out early Thursday morning. This meant that all 29 other MLB clubs could acquire him at the price of his remaining 2026 contract, with order of potential claims . He initially signed for $15 million before the 2026 regular season, and would be available for $3 million for the season's remainder. Suárez would have been a nice piece to add to the Phillies' lineup but perhaps doesn't have the same appeal the move once had, even just from a year ago.
Somewhat surprisingly, every MLB team came to the same conclusion: now's not a good time. Suárez cleared waivers on Thursday afternoon, and will remain with Cincinnati.
The 35-year-old has been a long-time slugger in the big leagues and has even proven his worth recently with his 48 home runs just last season. The problem is that his power has seemingly gone by the wayside after signing a one-year deal this year with the Reds. This past offseason, Phillies fans were fervently wanting to move on from third baseman Alec Bohm to try to add a difference maker at the hot corner. Suárez was an option at the time, but the team passed on the opportunity, and maybe it's best to keep it that way.
Phillies would have gotten a diminished version of Eugenio Suárez
In 103 games, Suárez is hitting .208 with 19 home runs and 57 RBI. His .705 OPS is above Bohm's .687 OPS, but is mostly relegated to the DH position at this point in his career. He looks more like the player he was in the second half of 2025, when he hit .189 with a nearly 36 percent strikeout rate. Suárez may still be able to provide pop, but if that power doesn't emerge, it's a spot wasted on a playoff-contending roster like the Phillies. Bohm has also reintroduced himself as a threat in the Phillies lineup during his recent tear.
The Phillies, since the Field of Dreams, game have looked like a brand new team. They've been more focused on plate approach and cutting down on the swing and miss. Acquiring Suárez feels like an adverse change to that idea. They've been able to supplement just fine with guys like Derek Hill, Bryan De La Cruz, and Edmundo Sosa off the bench.
Without Suárez hitting like he was early last year, the Phillies made the right call passing on him. Making him fit on the roster would be a challenge along with the idea of cutting someone else. They did enough shifting around after the trade deadline, and Suárez isn't worth another revisit to that conversation.
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