Jul 22, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks designated hitter Eugenio Suarez against the Houston Astros at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Why D-backs Should Avoid Eugenio Suárez Reunion

Originally posted on Arizona Diamondbacks on SI
By Alex D'Agostino | Last updated Dec 4, 2025 2:46 PM ET

The Arizona Diamondbacks have a long list of needs this offseason, but it seems unlikely that one particular fan-favorite reunion is in the cards.

Third baseman Eugenio Suárez, who enjoyed a career resurgence in 2025 dating back to the second half of 2024, was traded away at the Deadline back to the Seattle Mariners.

Suárez is now a free agent, but there are multiple reasons as to why the D-backs should avoid investing in a reunion deal.

ESPN insider Kiley McDaniel put together an article listing multiple free agents to avoid this offseason. Suárez sat at the top of that list, with a projected two-year, $45 million contract.

Why Diamondbacks Should Avoid Eugenio Suárez Reunion

John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Here's what McDaniel had to say about Suárez and the issues with signing him to a lucrative contract:

"There are a lot of blinking red lights here. He's 34 years old, and his defensive metrics at third base have gone from +8 to +3 to -3 in the past three seasons.

"He has played six regular-season innings at first base in his big league career, so you're either dealing with an aging, below-average defensive third baseman who you're hoping to move somewhere else, paying big money for him to learn a new position on the fly, or you're signing a designated hitter.

"At the plate, his pitch selection and high-end exit velos are just OK, so you're basically buying Suarez's elite ability to slug with little else to back it up. His isolated slugging in 2025 was his best since 2019 and just a hair off of a career best, so I'd bet on that backing up to some degree, but possibly a lot if Suarez's bat speed also dips," McDaniel wrote.

Suárez has certainly seemed to lose a step defensively at third, and his red-hot 2025 tailed off once he departed for Seattle. After hitting .248/.320/.576 with 36 homers in Arizona, that became a mere .189/.255/.428 with 13 homers in the latter two months of the year.

He was still productive, and is always a positive presence to have inside the clubhouse, but the D-backs are looking to reduce payroll in 2026, and appear to be heading in a more defensive direction with regard to their infield.

Arizona got younger, hungrier and more athletic in the field post-Deadline, and it seems more likely that they'd prefer to give young players like Blaze Alexander and Jordan Lawlar those third base reps, rather than dropping close to $50 million on a veteran star who may be on the decline.