The Cincinnati Reds made a clear choice on Saturday. The team declined the mutual options for right-hander Pierce Johnson and third baseman Eugenio Suárez, according to MLB Trade Rumors. This move leaves both players as free agents immediately.
It also leaves five spots open on the 40-man roster for the club to fill. These decisions were not a shock to anyone watching the league. It has been over a decade since a team and a player actually triggered a mutual option. The Reds are done waiting on the fence.
The Cost of Keeping Pitchers
Money talks in this league, and the Reds listened. Per MLB Trade Rumors, the club opted to pay Johnson a $1MM buyout rather than the $8MM owed had the option been exercised. That is a huge difference for a pitcher who only threw one game for Milwaukee this season. The math here is simple. Why pay eight times the buyout? The Reds saved seven million dollars on that deal alone. That is real money for a family budget.
A Slugger’s Second Chance Ends
Eugenio Suárez’s time in Cincinnati is likely over unless he signs a new deal. His $16MM option did not include a buyout, so the Reds just let it walk away. Suárez is 35 years old now. He played there from 2015 to 2021 and hit 30-plus home runs twice during that stretch. He earned two All-Star nods as well.
But the league changed, and so did he. Prior to his return to the Mariners via trade, the D-backs saw him spend one and a half seasons in Arizona and two with Seattle. For the second time in his career, he hit 49 homers last year. He slashed .228/.298/.526 between the two teams. Even with a low batting average, he posted a solid wRC+ of 125. He can still hit, but the price tag might be too high for the Reds to risk.
The Reds now have five open slots on their 40-man roster to use. They need to find players who fit their plan without the heavy price tags. Three weeks before the 2022 season opened, they moved on from Suárez in a blockbuster trade.
