When the Reds signed Eugenio Suarez this offseason, it looked like a reunion made for television. The year before he hit 49 home runs and drove in 118 runs. But like so much of the 2026 season, nothing went to plan.
He managed to bat just .212 with 26 home runs, 74 RBIs and a .740 OPS in 125 games this year, with numbers down all across the board. A strained left oblique cost him time between April 22 and May 23, shortly after he drove in the tiebreaking run for Venezuela in its 3-2 World Baseball Classic win over the United States.
This weekend the Reds declined a $16 million mutual option for 2027, making him a free agent and likely signaling the end of this second stint in a Reds uniform.
The Reds brought Suarez in to hit the long ball. And while he didn’t match his prior numbers, he did help the Reds finish fourth in the league in home runs with 213. But his problem was the team’s problem: besides hitting the long ball they were unable to do much else. As a result, their offense finished last in the NL and 27th overall in total runs scored.
Pagan Was The Reds Best Bullpen Arm In The Latter Part of 2026
Reds closer Emilio Pagán declined his $10 million player option for 2027 and will also enter free agency alongside Suarez.
Pagán is also 35 and finished 2026 with a 5-1 record, a 3.38 ERA and 25 saves in 28 opportunities across 45 games. He signed a two-year, $20 million contract last winter to remain in Cincinnati. He struggled mightily before a strained left hamstring sidelined him from May 5 to July 3.
But when he returned he was a completely different pitcher. He posted a 1.88 ERA over his final 30 appearances and converted all 19 of his save opportunities in that stretch.
Pagan shares many similarities with Nick Martinez who left the Reds last year and made it to the World Series with the Rays in 2026 at age 36, winning 15 games along the way. Coincidentally Tampa Bay also declined Martinez’s optionfor 2027 making him a free agent as well.
Pierce Johnson Will Also Not Be Back
The Reds also bought out Pierce Johnson who had a mutual option for $1 million. In 2026 Johnson went 2-1 with a 4.65 ERA and a save in 56 relief appearances.
Nostalgia Aside – The Reds Are Moving On
Together, the departure of Suarez, Pagan, and Johnson will have an impact of about $34 million in 2027. While Pagan could have had a positive impact for the Reds next year, Suarez just never seemed to fit correctly in the offense. Both players are getting on in years and would have carried substantial salaries, and that money can now perhaps be spent on younger or more talented free agents moving forward.
Both men had great moments in Reds uniforms, but the time has come to move on. Let’s hope Cincinnati wisely spends the savings they’ve received from these moves and they can jumpstart the offseason. Elly And Hunter Are Working Back…But Are the Reds in Danger of COMPLETELY Falling Apart?
