Ranger Suarez could be in line for the next 'pillow contract' this offseason

There will be many coveted free agents this offseason, with Kyle Tucker, Pete Alonso and likely Alex Bregman being the top players when Major League Baseball opens free agency. Close to a billion dollars could be allocated to these players alone, and starting pitchers won't do badly themselves. 

The quality of this year's market for free-agent starting pitching is not the best, with Dylan Cease, Framber Valdez and Ranger Suarez being the top arms on the market, and there is a steep drop-off for the second tier. 

Valdez and Cease are both coming off down years, which could cost them and lead to Suarez getting a payday. However, with questions of his durability over the last few seasons, Suarez could end up signing a “pillow contract.” 

Ranger Suarez could sign a "pillow contract" this offseason 

Although Suarez is considered one of the top arms on the market, that doesn't guarantee that teams will pay him what he’s seeking, especially with Scott Boras as his agent. Suarez hired Boras as his agent ahead of the 2025 season after seeing his clients Blake Snell and Max Fried get paid handsomely that offseason. 

Pitching well in 2025, having a 12-8 record with a 3.20 ERA in 157.1 innings (a career high), Suarez has never made 30 starts in a season, with 29 (2022) being his career high. Over the past few seasons, Suarez has missed some time due to injury, with his back becoming a concern. 

This question about his durability could lead to teams being hesitant to sign Suarez to a deal similar to Fried (eight years, $218 million). As such, he could sign a “pillow contract" with the Philadelphia Phillies or another team. 

Boras is known for these deals, with Alonso (opted out), Bregman (expected to opt out) and Snell recently signing them. Snell's gamble of signing a two-year, $62 million contract with San Francisco ahead of 2024 paid off, leading him to sign a five-year, $182 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers last offseason after he opted out with the Giants. 

Ranger Suarez could wind up getting the deal he wants in the end 

The market will ultimately decide whether Suarez will get paid this offseason or if he'll have to wait another year. According to Spotrac, Suarez's market value is a six-year, $161.5 million contract.

Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto proved that to be the case, as they became the first pair of starting pitchers to go eight-plus innings in consecutive postseason games since 2016.