The Diamondbacks are selecting up their $15MM choice on Eugenio Suárez, experiences Jesse Rogers of ESPN (on X). The deal would have include a $2MM buyout, successfully rendering it a $13MM choice.
Just some months in the past, the Diamondbacks wouldn’t have envisioned making this choice. Suárez obtained out to a horrible begin to the season, his first within the desert after an offseason commerce with the Mariners. He went into the All-Star Break with a .216/.302/.366 slash whereas putting out in practically 29% of his plate appearances. Arizona thought-about bumping him out of the beginning lineup in deference to rookie infielder Blaze Alexander.
A monster second half not solely salvaged his beginning job however locked in that additional $13MM. Suárez was one of many recreation’s hottest hitters after the Break. He mashed at a .307/.341/.602 clip with 20 homers in his remaining 65 video games. He lower his strikeout fee by a number of proportion factors whereas working a three-month energy barrage. By the tip of the season, he’d pushed his numbers to a .256/.319/.469 line with 30 homers throughout 640 plate appearances. After accounting for the distinction in his dwelling park, that’s not far off the cumulative .234/.327/.423 displaying he posted over his remaining two seasons in Seattle.
Suárez basically performed on the degree Arizona anticipated, albeit in extraordinarily streaky vogue. It will’ve been shocking for the Diamondbacks to chop him unfastened on the heels of that monster end. He’s a possible offseason commerce candidate, although. Bringing Suárez again blocks the clearest path to taking part in time for high prospect Jordan Lawlar. The Snakes have Geraldo Perdomo and Ketel Marte locked into the center infield.
The 22-year-old Lawlar misplaced most of this yr to harm. He solely appeared in 23 minor league video games and didn’t see any MLB motion regardless of making his large league debut late within the ’23 season. Lawlar nonetheless has minor league choices remaining, so the Snakes might maintain him in Triple-A for an additional yr. In the event that they really feel he’ll be prepared for an prolonged audition early subsequent season, purchasing Suárez might enable them to reallocate wage whereas recouping worth they wouldn’t have obtained in the event that they’d purchased out the choice.
Choice choices on Jordan Montgomery and Suárez push Arizona’s projected payroll to roughly $137MM, as calculated by RosterResource. A straightforward choice name to retain Merrill Kelly will add one other $6MM. Arizona opened this previous season with a franchise-record payroll within the $163MM vary. In the event that they’re prepared to duplicate that, they’ll have some leeway to switch free brokers Christian Walker and Joc Pederson. Trades of Montgomery and/or Suárez might clear bit extra money if possession doesn’t need to match this yr’s spending. They gained’t discover a taker for the whole thing of Montgomery’s $22.5MM deal, however groups just like the Yankees, Blue Jays or Astros may very well be prepared to surrender expertise whereas taking Suárez’s wage off the books.
Picture courtesy of USA TODAY Community.
