Pirates must resist Eugenio Suárez temptation after Reds put veteran slugger on waivers

Six months ago, Eugenio Suárez made plenty of sense for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Now, despite how badly their offense has struggled lately, claiming him off waivers would amount to chasing the player they wanted instead of evaluating the player — and roster — they actually have.

The Cincinnati Reds reportedly placed Suárez on waivers Thursday, giving the other 29 teams a 48-hour window to claim him and assume the remainder of his contract. He signed a one-year, $15 million deal with Cincinnati last winter and is owed less than $3 million for the remainder of this season.

There will undoubtedly be some temptation in Pittsburgh. The Pirates were one of the finalists for Suárez in free agency, and Pittsburgh was reportedly willing to match Cincinnati's $15 million offer and potentially go higher. Suárez chose the Reds instead.

At the time, he was coming off a 49-homer season with an .824 OPS. That version of Suárez would obviously help this team. Since then, however, Suárez has accumulated a .705 OPS in 103 games despite hitting 19 home runs. Even more concerning for Pittsburgh, he has struck out at an enormous rate and hasn't even crushed left-handed pitching, batting just .177 with a .668 OPS against southpaws.

PNC Park isn't exactly designed to rehabilitate a declining right-handed power hitter, either. The park is notoriously unforgiving toward balls hit into left-center, where the power alley sits 389 feet away and the North Side Notch extends to 410. Suárez chose Cincinnati in part because of the ballpark fit. There's a reason he did.

Eugenio Suárez made sense for Pirates in free agency, but the fit is no longer there

Then there's the question Pittsburgh would have to answer immediately: Where does he play?

Suárez has appeared primarily at designated hitter this season, with 39 games at third base. Pittsburgh doesn't have an obvious opening at either spot.

Nick Gonzales has become the Pirates' primary third baseman and is batting .305 with a .759 OPS. Brandon Lowe occupies plenty of DH at-bats while also playing second. Nick Yorke deserves evaluation time, and Jared Triolo provides considerably more defensive versatility. Spencer Horwitz and Rafael Flores Jr. are options at first, while Bryan Reynolds can rotate through DH.

And that's before Konnor Griffin, who could return as soon as Sept. 4, forces another infield reshuffling or Ryan O'Hearn potentially returns around the middle of September.

Most importantly, the Pirates simply aren't in the position they hoped they would be when they pursued Suárez last winter. They enter Friday's series in St. Louis at 65-70, 7.5 games out of the final National League Wild Card with only 27 games remaining.

That doesn't mean they should surrender, but it does mean any late-season addition needs to substantially improve their chances. A 35-year-old DH/third baseman with a .705 OPS doesn't.

Claiming Suárez would be understandable if Pittsburgh were two games out and desperately needed one more established power bat. At 7.5 games back, however, the Pirates should be using September to make their final push with Cruz, Gonzales, Valdez and hopefully Griffin while determining which young players belong on the 2027 roster.

There is some irony here. The Pirates wanted Suárez when acquiring him would have required $15 million — perhaps more — and looked like a legitimate attempt to upgrade a team expecting to contend. Now they can probably have him for a fraction of that price. They should still say no.

Sometimes the bargain version of the player you wanted isn't actually a bargain.

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