Eugenio Suárez’s second stint with the Cincinnati Reds could be ending in the next few weeks. On July 18 2026, C. Trent Rosecrans and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the Reds are looking to offload expiring contracts ahead of the 2026 trade deadline.

“For now, sources indicate the Reds are focusing their efforts on moving players with expiring contracts. According to team sources, the Reds are open to adding major-league talent at this year’s trade deadline to strengthen their roster for 2027 and beyond”.

Eugenio Suárez meets the expiring-contract criteria, as he signed a one-year, $15 million with a mutual option deal prior to the 2026 season. If both parties exercise the mutual option for 2027, it is worth $16 million. Because of this contract structure, Eugenio Suárez could again be traded before the deadline, as he was last season.

On July 31 2025, Arizona traded Eugenio Suárez to the Seattle Mariners for three of the top 20 prospects in the Mariners’ farm system. Those prospects were Tyler Locklear (Mariners’ No. 9 prospect), Hunter Cranton (No. 16), and Juan Burgos (No. 17).

At the time of the trade, none of the players going to Arizona were on the top 100 prospect list. This suggests Cincinnati could receive a lighter return for him this year. 

The Truth Behind the 2026 Decline

Eugenio Suárez has not replicated his 2025 offensive statistics with Arizona in 2026. He is hitting .210 with 12 home runs and 36 RBIs. This is significantly lower than the statistics he posted with Arizona prior to being traded to Seattle.

In 106 games with Arizona, he hit .248 with 36 home runs and 87 RBIs. Eugenio Suárez’s statistical decline stems from multiple reasons.

On April 23 2026, Eugenio Suárez suffered a left oblique strain during batting practice. The injury caused him to miss 25 straight games from April 23 to May 23. This has contributed to his playing only 69 of 97 games in 2026.

Outside of injury, he has seen significant statistical regression against the sinker and slider. In Arizona, he hit .262 with an on-base percentage and slugging percentage of .325 and .574, respectively.

Unfortunately, in Cincinnati, he is only hitting .133, with on-base and slugging percentages of .213 and .184, respectively. The decline stems from minor alterations Eugenio Suárez made to his hitting process. 

He has opened up his stance and let the ball travel deeper. The stance angle has gone from 22 to 26 degrees open, and his intercept point has moved from 17.5 inches to 15.5 inches.

These changes have caused him to be on time less frequently. In Arizona, he made contact on time during 62% of his opportunities. This has decreased by 6% in Cincinnati, as he is on time in 56% of his opportunities.

This has reduced the number of barrels he generates on these pitches, from 13 to 4. These results have led to more ground balls, going from 33 to 49.2%.

Why He Is Secretly the Best Bat on the 2026 Market

If Eugenio Suárez can revert to his old hitting elements, he will perform closer to his 2025 season. Given his current situation, he is the best bat available on the trade market. He is a player who has averaged 34 home runs per season throughout his career. His current value has been lowered due to his performance over the first half of 2026.

Consequently, the cost to acquire him should be lower than that of other offensive players on the market. As stated above, the Cincinnati Reds are looking for players with major league experience to add to the 2027 roster. A team like the Boston Red Sox could potentially offer the Cincinnati Reds Brayan Bello for Eugenio Suárez.

Brayan Bello just got recalled to the major leagues after a rough start to his 2026 season. He has allowed 80 hits and 24 walks in 65.1 innings. Consequently, he gave up 48 runs, posting an earned run average of 6.06.

However, he is under contract until 2029 with a club option for the 2030 season. Bello could be a bullpen arm or a back-of-the-rotation starter for the Cincinnati club for multiple years. If the Boston Red Sox acquired Eugenio Suárez, they could use him as a designated hitter, batting behind Wilson Contreras. 

He can remain the designated hitter until Boston gets an update on Roman Anthony. If Roman comes back from his finger injury, Boston can move Eugenio Suárez to third base if necessary.

Boston is just one example, but teams like the Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, and Philadelphia Phillies can all acquire a power hitter with a solid track record for a lower price.