Why the Pirates’ case for Eugenio Suárez is stronger than it seems

Ken Rosenthal reported this week that the Pittsburgh Pirates still have confirmed interest in Eugenio Suárez as the third-base market continues to thin out across baseball.

That alone is notable. It signals that Pittsburgh is still actively hunting for an impact bat, even as options dwindle and prices harden.

But in the same breath, Rosenthal poured a little cold water on the idea, noting that Suárez would likely prefer a “better” or “more competitive” team if given the choice. It’s a familiar refrain for Pirates fans — one that assumes Pittsburgh is forever stuck on the outside of the contender class, no matter how much changes.

Rosenthal certainly wasn’t wrong to frame Suárez as a player who wants to win. He’s 34. He’s been through rebuilds. He’s experienced October baseball in Cincinnati and Seattle. At this stage of his career, it’s reasonable—expected, even—that he would prefer to sign with a contender in free agency.

But that framing quietly assumes something that Pirates fans are tired of hearing: that Pittsburgh, by definition, is not that team. And that’s where the conversation becomes lazy.

Eugenio Suárez may be chasing a contender, but the Pirates can become one with him

The 2026 Pirates are not the 2022 Pirates. They’re not the “wait until next year” Pirates. They’re not asking a veteran to endure three more seasons of growing pains in exchange for a paycheck. This version of the roster is actively trying to cross the line from “promising” to “dangerous.” The front office has already told us that with action.

Brandon Lowe, Ryan O’Hearn and Jhostynxon Garcia aren’t cosmetic moves. They’re not depth-for-depth swaps. They’re bets on run production, on athleticism, on raising the floor of the lineup. They’re admissions that the Pirates can’t afford to waste the window created by Paul Skenes, Jared Jones, Mitch Keller, and a pitching core that is already playoff-caliber.

Add Suárez to that mix, and the entire identity of the offense changes. Suddenly, this isn’t a lineup hoping to scratch out three runs and survive. It’s a group with legitimate thump in the middle—Suárez protecting Oneil Cruz, Cruz protecting Suárez, Lowe and O’Hearn extending innings, Bryan Reynolds no longer carrying the entire burden of production. It’s a team that can beat you 6–4 instead of praying for 3–2.

That should matter to a player like Suárez. Because “contender” isn’t a logo. It’s a situation. It’s a clubhouse where you can look around and say, we’re close. It’s a roster that doesn’t need a miracle—just one more push.

Pittsburgh can offer that. They can offer a rotation that gives you a chance every night. They can offer a ballpark where right-handed power still plays. They can offer a fanbase that turns every meaningful September game into a postseason atmosphere. They can offer something Seattle couldn’t when Suárez left: momentum.

There’s also the human element. Suárez isn’t chasing ring No. 3. He’s chasing relevance in the back half of his career. He’s chasing a chance to matter again. In Pittsburgh, he wouldn’t be a complementary piece. He’d be the piece. The guy who turns a promising team into a dangerous one. The veteran who bridges the gap between potential and belief.

The Pirates’ pitch doesn’t have to be, “Trust us, we’ll be good someday.” It can be, “Look at what we’ve already built. You’re the final piece.”

If Suárez truly wants to play for a contender, Pittsburgh can make an honest case that with him, they become one. And that’s the part of this conversation that keeps getting skipped.

Sometimes, a contender is just a team one bold decision away. The Pirates are staring at that decision right now.