Pros and Cons of Phillies Pursuing Eugenio Suarez

Philadelphia underwent massive changes to its defensive alignment following the acquisition of Luis Arraez from the San Francisco Giants. With him entrenched at second base, Byrson Stott moved over to third base, which led to Alec Bohm moving across the diamond to first base. Bryce Harper went back to right field for the first time in four years.

Adding Suarez to the mix would further complicate an already shaky defensive game plan. There aren’t any openings in the infield, unless the Phillies are going to move Trea Turner away from shortstop and start playing him in the outfield.

The designated hitter spot is going to be split between Kyle Schwarber and Harper the rest of the way. There is just no room for another corner infielder/designated hitter with the current roster makeup.

Pro: Balance Lineup

Ahead of the trade deadline, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski was looking to add a right-handed-hitting outfielder. Arraez is the complete opposite, as a left-handed-hitting infielder.

Suarez would help balance the lineup out as a right-handed hitter. He offers some real pop from that side of the plate with 19 home runs thus far, putting him on the cusp of 10 consecutive 162-game campaigns with at least 20 long balls.

Having a player with a career home run rate of 4.9% coming off the bench would be a nice luxury for interim manager Don Mattingly to deploy late in games.

Con: Approach at the plate

One of the reasons Philadelphia has experienced this bounce back over the last few weeks is the team changing its approach at the plate. They are no longer relying solely on hitting home runs, getting on base at a much better clip and generating runs in other ways.

That is an approach Suarez doesn’t currently fit into. He has a 34.9% strikeout rate this season with a .295 on-base percentage. His 93 OPS+ is his lowest mark since he produced an 82 with the Reds in 2021.

The Phillies would be better off riding the hot streak of Bohm and Stott, hoping their production is sustainable, instead of adding a new piece to the clubhouse that further complicates decision-making for Mattingly.

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