Blue Jays trade deadline target: Eugenio Suárez

The Toronto Blue Jays could look to add a power bat before the trade deadline. 

Anthony Santander’s health is still in question, and as of the latest update, he still hasn’t swung the bat and is week-to-week. Santander hit 44 home runs last season, the third-most in the league, only behind Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. He was signed to be the Blue Jays’ main power source this off-season, but has produced mediocre results when healthy.

Depending on Santander’s time frame for returning, the Jays could look elsewhere for power, and the player we’ll look at in this article would also fill a need. Eugenio Suárez is the best power bat on the market.

Scouting report

Standing at 5’11”,  213 lbs, Suárez produces a surprising amount of power for his stature. The 34-year-old has hit 36 home runs this season, the second-most in his career (he hit 49 in 2019). As it stands, Suárez is tied for fourth in home runs, only behind former teammate Cal Raleigh (39), as well as Judge (37) and Ohtani (37).

This is undoubtedly one of Suárez’s best seasons of his career. Overall, he’s slashing .249/.321/.587 in 421 plate appearances for 145 wRC+. On a rate basis, he’s hitting a home run in 8.5% of his plate appearances, which is on pace for 56 home runs if he has the same number of plate appearances (662) as he did in 2019. That season, he slashed .271/.358/.572 with 49 home runs in 662 plate appearances for a 130 wRC+.

Acquiring Suárez would push Addison Barger into a full-time outfield role, as Suárez is a third baseman. On top of that, Ernie Clement would end up moving to a utility role or a platoon role with Andrés Giménez at second base.

Although Suárez’s power is immense, that scenario would see the Blue Jays sacrifice defence. This season, the third baseman had -4 Defensive Runs Saved and -6 Outs Above Average in 853.2 innings at the hot corner. It’s the seventh consecutive season with a DRS in the negatives, but he did have 12 OAA in 2023 and 3 OAA in 2024.

Contract situation

Since taking over the Blue Jays, Ross Atkins has tended to trade for players with term when buying at the trade deadline. Trading for Suárez would be a deviation from the norm, as he is a pending free agent at the end of the season. Suárez is on a good deal for the production he’s had this season, as he makes $15 million on payroll and just $13 million towards the luxury tax.

The Jays are well above the Competitive Balance Tax of $241 million, as they have a payroll of $272 million. If they exceed $281 million (which they will if they add Suárez), their first-round pick will drop 10 picks, which isn’t really an issue for a team contending.

How does Suárez help the Blue Jays?

Although Suárez will be a free agent at the end of the season, he’ll still cost a significant haul, especially with the number of teams that have interest in him. It’s not often a player in the top five for home runs becomes available for a postseason run, but that’s the case with Suárez.

This is a short-term fix to a lack of power on the 26-man roster. The Blue Jays are in the middle of the pack for home runs, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing because they still score runs, but it’s something they can improve on.

Long-term, they’ll give up quite a few prospects in this trade, which could bite them in the butt later on down the road, especially if Suárez doesn’t re-sign.