Three conclusions for NY Mets fans after Eugenio Suarez signs with the Reds

If the goal this offseason for the New York Mets was to keep power in the lineup in its purest form, they were going to sign Eugenio Suarez. One of the game’s best available power hitters in free agency finally has a deal, agreeing to a $15 million deal for 2026 and a $16 million mutual for 2027 to rejoin the Cincinnati Reds after a few seasons away.

In comparison to some of the other top hitters out there, it feels like a bargain. In fairness, Suarez is a mostly one-dimensional slugger who strikes out a ton, faded after the trade deadline, and is already 34-years-old.

Three conclusions for Mets fans after the Reds sign Eugenio Suarez

1) The Mets never considered Eugenio Suarez as a first base option

At $15 million versus the $20 million the Mets paid to Jorge Polanco, we can come to the conclusion that the Mets never thought of Suarez as someone who could play first base for them. They’ll boldly ask Polanco to continue to learn a position he only tested in pregame with the Seattle Mariners last year, partly while teaming up alongside Suarez for the final months of the year. On paper, Suarez was a candidate to come to the Mets and be a corner infielder who could DH a bit. The Mets went in a different direction with a guy who took a much different approach at his age, choosing to improve his K rate while Suarez remains the same.

2) There won’t be a last-minute trade with the Reds involving Mark Vientos

The Reds landing Suarez only seems to further the idea that maybe they could have been a match with the Mets for Mark Vientos. Suarez is, in many ways, the older version of Vientos. We can only hope Vientos one day can become a player who’ll challenge to hit 50 home runs in a season. Suarez has hit 49 twice, most recently in 2025. They’re redundant on the same team. While this doesn’t completely eliminate the Mets from a last-minute Vientos trade, it most definitely won’t be with the Reds.

3) Teams who missed on Eugenio Suarez might want to call the Mets

Aside from Vientos, Brett Baty is a guy teams might kick the tires on now with Suarez off the market. Ball clubs like the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates were matches for Suarez and will now have to scramble for something else at third base. Could a deal for Baty potentially brew with spring training approaching? It would shake up the expectation we have that he’s the starting left fielder in 2026 if Carson Benge doesn’t show enough in spring training.