Twenty-nine MLB teams passed on adding one of the game's fiercest power hitters. Eugenio Suárez will remain with the Cincinnati Reds after clearing waivers, per FOX19's Charlie Goldsmith. Veteran outfielder TJ Friedl also went through waivers unclaimed.
Suárez is only one year removed from matching a career high with 49 home runs last season. Despite that massive tally, he settled for a one-year, $15 million deal with the Reds, where he previously played from 2015 to 2021. Only five players (Aaron Judge, Kyle Schwarber, Shohei Ohtani, Matt Olson, and Pete Alonso) hit more home runs from 2018 through 2025 than Suárez's 261.
He slugged .481 over that window with the seventh-highest fWAR (25.4) among third basemen. Yet the 35-year-old's deficiencies have come to light during his 13th season. Suárez is batting .208/.295/.410 with a 34.9% strikeout rate, the worst mark of any hitter with at least 400 plate appearances.
Even with 19 home runs, he has a -0.4 fWAR because of his poor contact and defense. Suárez, who has gone deep 11 times in 47 July and August games, still seemed like an intriguing late-season addition for a contender seeking an extra power bat. One of baseball's streakiest hitters could have presented a low-risk, high-reward move for a team willing to absorb the approximately $2.6 million remaining on his contract.
He'll instead conclude the season with the Reds, who enter Thursday nine games away from the National League's final wild-card spot. Friedl also didn't draw any takers despite posting a .364 OBP and 3.1 fWAR last season. The 31-year-old hasn't fared nearly as well in 2026, batting .158/.242/.234 in 76 games.
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