Boston Red Sox fans may wonder why the Boston Red Sox didn’t push harder to sign Eugenio Suárez after the third baseman settled for a modest one-year, $15 million deal with the Cincinnati Reds. They may have been even more confused when learning that Boson didn’t make an offer.
MassLive’s Lauren Campbell and Chris Cotillo reported that the Red Sox never made a formal offer to Suárez, who chose a Reds reunion over joining the Pittsburgh Pirates. An MLB insider confirmed the main reason why Boston passed on pursuing an All-Star who swatted 49 home runs last season.
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden claimed on “Foul Territory” that the Red Sox didn’t make Suárez an offer because of his defensive limitations.
Suárez’s fielding shouldn’t be a problem for the Reds, who can use him as a designated hitter with Gold Glove winner Ke’Bryan Hayes patrolling third base. However, Bowden noted that the Red Sox couldn’t take that approach because they need the DH spot for one of their four outfielders (Jarren Duran, Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu).
Boston also prefers its younger in-house option as Alex Bregman’s replacement at the hot corner.
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“They didn’t want Suárez to block Marcelo Mayer when he’s healthy. They’ve got him at third base right now,” Bowden said. “And they’re really concerned about the defense, and they should be. They have an elite defensive outfield, but the infield defense was very questionable last year.”
The Red Sox committed an MLB-worst 61 errors last season, and the issue reared its head in a postseason elimination loss to the New York Yankees. Suárez would not have helped after committing 16 errors with minus-six defensive runs saved last season, but the 34-year-old could have given Boston’s lineup a power jolt.
Featured image via John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
