Top Landing Spots for Free Agent Ranger Suárez

Free Agent Profile: Ranger Suárez

• Age in 2026: 30
• 2025 Stats: 26 GS, 157.1 IP, 3.20 ERA, 3.21 FIP, 23.2% K%, 5.8% BB%
• 2025 Salary: $8.8 million
• Qualifying Offer Eligible: Yes

Contract Projection

• Contract Length Expectation: 3-6 years
• Expected AAV: $20-25 million
  

Going into his age-30 season in 2026, Suárez is on the younger side of this winter’s marquee free-agent starters. 2025 was the closest he’s had to an ace-type season with his career-high 4.0 fWAR despite failing to qualify for the ERA title.

Suárez’s injury history may hinder him from getting a frontline-starter payday. Although he has never missed significant time over the last five seasons, he has also never qualified for the ERA title. But when he’s been on the field, he’s been a steady 2-3 starter in any given rotation.

Suárez will be a modestly priced free agent despite these numbers. He likely won’t match the total dollar amount of pitchers like Framber Valdez or Dylan Cease, but he can be just as efficient at his best. This will likely make him an attractive target for several teams in large and medium markets. Here are some of the top options.

Free Agent Landing Spots for Ranger Suárez

Philadelphia Phillies

In 2025, the Phillies had MLB’s best rotation by both FIP and fWAR, and topped the NL in ERA. With the elusive World Series championship still in sight, why not run it back with the same group?

Suárez has expressed interest in returning to Philadelphia. After losing game four of the NLDS against the Dodgers, Suárez told reporters “I don’t want it to be the last year with the team, but it’s not up to me right now. It’s more about the team itself and my agent right now.”

The Phillies haven’t had problems re-signing their own players in free-agency with examples including JT Realmuto after 2020 and Aaron Nola after 2023. Suárez joins Realmuto and Schwarber as key free agents coming out of Philadelphia. Retaining the dependable lefty starter would keep the team in a position to make a deep run in 2026 and beyond.

If the Phillies let Suárez walk, it is likely that his rotation spot will be replaced by one of or both of Taijuan Walker or Andrew Painter. Walker, who is entering the final season of his four year, $72 million contract, has suffered a 5.30 ERA and 5.82 FIP in his two seasons. While Painter has been a highly touted prospect for years, there is an inherent risk of giving that kind of role to a 23-year-old with no MLB experience.

According to Spotrac, the Phillies have been over the luxury tax threshold for the last four seasons. Spending has not been an issue for John Middleton. While a Suárez contract would be adding on to an already high payroll, it hasn’t seemed to stop Philadelphia in the past.

Houston Astros

Houston missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016 this year, and the lack of stability in the rotation was a major reason why. Valdez and Hunter Brown were the only Astros pitchers to throw at least 100 innings, as every other starter missed significant time. One of those two is likely not returning next year, and that’s where Suárez comes in.

Suárez and Valdez are cut from the same cloth in many ways. They are both lefty sinker ballers that rely on ground balls and weak contact. If Valdez in indeed leaving Houston, Suárez would be the best and most cost-efficient replacement.

Despite their mountain of successes in the last decade, the Astros have never been one to hand out the big contracts. They’ve had no problem letting guys like George Springer, Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman walk in free agency, and if Valdez is the top available arm, they will probably let him do the same.

But if Houston is still looking to compete, there is a lot needed to replace what Valdez has given them in the last six seasons. Suárez might be the single-best replacement. Even with his injury history, we would still be one of the healthier pitchers on the staff.

Valdez and Suárez are two of the most ground-ball heavy starting pitchers in baseball, something that plays to a strength in the Houston defense. In 2025, the Astros infield recorded 28 outs above average, the third highest in the Majors.

As a ground-ball pitcher, Suárez would benefit greatly from the defense behind him. For an Astros team that could be privy to the home run ball with the Crawford boxes in left field, another pitcher that can keep the ball on the ground might be the best fit for this team.

Atlanta Braves

After a season to forget in 2025, the Braves need to retool if they’re looking rebound and once again become a contender in a loaded NL East. Signing Suárez would not only add long-term stability to the rotation, it would take a key player from a division rival.

As it currently stands, Atlanta’s rotation is filled with uncertainty: Chris Sale is 37, Spencer Schwellenbach missed three months last year, Hurston Waldrep has 11 big-league starts to his name. Spencer Strider and Reynaldo Lopez also regressed in 2025.

Suárez would turn out to be an essential piece of this rotation in the event where the stability he brings is needed.

In 2025, Braves pitchers experienced a 4.3% increase in hard-hit rate compared to 2024. It was the second-highest year-to-year jump in the league, trailing only the White Sox. They also saw a 1.7% rise in barrel rate against, a 3.7% decrease in ground-ball rate against, and 1.2% increase in walk rate. All were among the steepest changes in the wrong direction in the Majors.

The decrease in quality of batted balls allowed for Atlanta pitching played a role in the team’s problems throughout the year.

Bringing Suárez can fix these issues. The areas of struggle that led to Atlanta’s downfall are exactly what Suárez brings to the table. In 2025, he was the only qualified starter to rank in the 85th percentile or higher in all the aforementioned metrics.

If Atlanta wants to recover from last year, this might be a viable way to get back to the postseason.

Toronto Blue Jays

Fresh off the most painful heartbreak in franchise history, it feels like the Jays will do everything they can to bolster their roster this winter.

Rogers Communications is one of the richest ownership groups in the sport. With a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. extension starting this year and only one consecutive year over the luxury tax, it feels like anything is possible.

Like the Braves, the Blue Jays rotation is not without its question marks. Will Kevin Gausman be his first half of 2025 self or his second half self? Can Trey Yesavage continue his postseason breakout over a full regular season? What do José Berríos and Shane Bieber look like? Adding Suárez would bring in a dependable No. 2 starter while solidifying the five-man staff.

The addition of Suárez would bring a new look to the Blue Jays’ rotation. In 2025, 7.4% of pitches thrown by Toronto starters registered as changeups. Suárez’s changeup was perhaps his top weapon last year. Opponents hit .203 and slugging .268 against it with a 33% whiff rate and 82.4 mph average exit velocity against it. It could be used to retire elite hitters in the division such as Aaron Judge or Junior Caminero.

Right now, Toronto has Eric Lauer slotted in as its five starter and the only lefty in the rotation. Suárez would make for a viable replacement. There’s little excuse for this front office to not do anything it can to strengthen this team after the way 2025 ended, and this is a clear way to do it.

Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox made the postseason last year for the first time since 2021. After a quick exit from October, it’s time for this team to build itself into a World Series contender.

At this point, Fangraphs projects Kutter Crawford, Connelly Early and Patrick Sandoval making Boston’s Opening Day rotation. That’s not good enough in a loaded AL East division.

In some ways, Suárez already fits what the Red Sox want out of their starters. Since Andrew Bailey took over the pitching staff in 2024, Sox starters have only thrown four-Seam fastballs at a 24.7% rate, the third lowest in the Majors. Suárez threw his four-Seamer 14.6% of the time last year, fitting in with the team philosophy.

Suárez’s ability to induct soft contact and keep the ball on the ground may be an essential trait for Boston to have. In 2025, pulled fly balls hit by right handed hitters did more damage at Fenway Park than any other ballpark. Why does this matter? Because 79.8% of pitchers thrown by Suárez last year were thrown by righties, the seventh highest rate among the 101 pitchers with at least 2,000 total pitches thrown.

Last season, Suárez allowed 113 fly balls. Those fly balls averaged a 89.8 mph in exit velocity, the lowest of the 91 pitchers to allow at least 100 fly balls. While nearly half of batted balls against Suárez are on the ground, the other half largely consist of weak fly balls that are caught in the outfield, something that is needed with the green monster in left.

Although the Red Sox would need to clean up their infield defense for Suárez, his skillset would be a fit for this rotation.