The Messy Little Secret Behind the Yankees’ Interest in Eugenio Suarez

Eugenio Suarez still has power. That much is clear.

"He's been a really good power hitter in the league for a long time," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before Monday night's game.

Suarez entered the week with 36 home runs and 86 RBI, continuing six years of consistent right-handed pop. For a Yankees lineup that’s lacked consistent depth behind Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger, that kind of production from third base would be a boost.

But Boone wasn’t exactly campaigning to bring him in.

The Yankees are watching Suarez, but here’s the messy little secret about Eugenio Suarez: they may be better off looking elsewhere.

Eugenio Suarez Has Major Defensive Flaws

While fans continue to roast Anthony Volpe for his American League–leading 12 errors, Suarez is right behind him with 11. That would already be cause for concern—but it gets worse when you dig into the advanced metrics.

According to FanGraphs, Suarez has posted –5 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) this season. He’s now in his seventh consecutive year with negative defensive value. Baseball Savant isn’t kinder: Suarez ranks at –4 Fielding Run Value (FRV), with bottom-tier range and declining reaction time at third base.

For a Yankees team built around pitching and defense, that’s a glaring red flag.

Yankees Can't Afford Another Below-Average Defender on the Left Side

This offseason, the Yankees committed $218 million to Max Fried, a command-first starter who thrives on soft contact and ground balls. His success depends on infield defense doing its job—and right now, it’s not.

Adding Suarez might bring a few timely homers, but it also brings more risk for defensive breakdowns. If Fried is going to lead this rotation, the Yankees can’t afford to field one of the worst defensive third basemen in baseball behind him.

And the reality is: Eugenio Suarez is not a defensive upgrade over Oswald Peraza or DJ LeMahieu. He might not even be an upgrade over Volpe, errors and all.

Better Defensive Trade Targets for the Yankees at the Deadline

If the Yankees want to maximize the investment they made into pitching this winter, they should consider these far better fits:

• Ke’Bryan Hayes, Pittsburgh Pirates – Gold Glove winner, elite range, consistently ranks near the top of all defensive metrics.
  
• Ramon Urias, Baltimore Orioles – Glove-first infielder with positional versatility.
  
• Willi Castro, Minnesota Twins – Can play third, shortstop, and second base; above-average defender across the board.
  
• Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Pittsburgh Pirates – Former Yankee who’s dramatically improved his defensive metrics in 2025.
  

All of them rate better than Suarez defensively. Most of them are cheaper. And none of them carry the same risk of undoing what the Yankees just spent nine figures building.