Top Free Agent 'Absolutely' a Possibility for Pirates

Passan said that the Pirates could still make some moves and that they may land Suárez, naming Pittsburgh the best fit for him.

"I don't think the Pirates are done. And I think Suarez is absolutely a possibility. Not sure there's a better fit for him, in fact."

Will the Pirates Sign Suárez?

The Pirates have show interest in Suárez, but no one has really named the team as where they think he will land.

Pirates beat writers in Alex Stumpf of MLB.com and Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette both said it's unlikely that they land Suárez after reporting that they have interest in him.

Money is a big reason for why the Pirates might not sign Suárez, with multiple projections ranging from $15-$25 million AAV.

Spotrac puts the market value of Suárez at two years, $29.9 million, or about $15 million per season. Kiley McDaniel of ESPN has him at two years, $45 million, $22.5 million per season, while Bowden with The Athletic has Suárez at three years, $72 million, or $24 million per year.

The Pirates are already around the $90-$95 million mark for their payroll with their additions of Lowe and O'Hearn. They also have desired making additions in left-handed starting pitching, another relief pitcher or two, plus potentially another outfielder.

Suárez would likely also want a team that he sees as closer to competing, such as a return with the Seattle Mariners or signing with the Boston Red Sox, who might not mind meeting his contract demands.

The Pirates could still land Suárez, who has little market for one of the best power hitters in all of baseball.

If they can meet his contract demands with reason, they could convince Suárez that Pittsburgh is the best place for him in 2026.

Why Suárez Makes Sense for the Pirates

The Pirates would benefit greatly from adding Suárez to their lineup, as they ranked last in home runs in 2025 at just 117 total, while also posting the worst slugging percentage (.350) and OPS (.655),

Only five other players have hit more home runs than Suárez since 2018 and only Pirates Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner has hit more home runs in a season in franchise history than Suarez's total in 2025

He has never hit less than 21 home runs in a season in his career, where he played more than 100 games, which is more than any Pirates player had this season, with center fielder Oneil Cruz leading with 20 home runs.

The Pirates moved on from Ke'Bryan Hayes, their long-time third baseman, who is the best defensively at his position in baseball, but one of the worst hitters there as well.

Suárez has struggled defensively at third base, posting his worst defensive season in his career, with -6 defensive runs saved, -6 outs above average and -4 runs prevented in 2025.

He also struggled at the plate towards the end of 2025, slashing .189/.255/.428 for an OPS of .682 with nine home runs in 53 games with the Mariners, after the Arizona Diamondbacks trade him ahead of the deadline.

The Pirates may not get the very best out of Suárez, but if they can get him above .200, healthy as he's been and a power right-handed bat, that would help them greatly in ending their decade-long postseason drought.