Pirates Projected to Land Another Notable Free Agent

The Pittsburgh Pirates have already shocked the baseball offseason by actually being one of the most active teams. They traded for slugging second baseman Brandon Lowe, and signed free agent bat Ryan O'Hearn.

Now, they're interested in, and being projected to sign, big power bat Eugenio Suarez. Will Laws & Nick Selbe of Sports Illustrated have predicted that the big third baseman will land with Pittsburgh.

He could make a massive difference in the middle of the lineup on a short-term deal for an offense-starved team like the suddenly active Pirates if everything goes right.

Suarez blasted 49 home runs in 2025, the fifth most in the majors. Add that to the 30 or so long balls Lowe could hit if he stays healthy, and another 15-20 for O'Hearn, and the Pirates will have significantly boosted their offense.

Eugenio Suarez would provide a TON of power to this Pirates lineup. Should Pittsburgh sign the veteran third baseman? pic.twitter.com/avtakEXhLl
— Bucco Bantr (@BuccoBantr) January 5, 2026

Jesse Rogers of ESPN figures that Suarez would be a more than adequate replacement for the since-traded Ke'Bryan Hayes as the Pirates' third baseman.

The Mariners haven't completely given up on re-signing the slugger, after they already brought back another key member of their ALCS team from 2025, in Josh Naylor.

In addition to his 49 homers, Suarez drove in a career-high 118 and posted an .824 OPS. However, his defense at third is far from passable, and his strikeout counts continue to be among the highest anywhere in baseball. He also hit just .189 after coming back over to Seattle at the trade deadline last year, with only a .682 OPS.