Report: Padres, Suarez agree to 5-year, $46M deal
The San Diego Padres retained right-hander Robert Suarez, agreeing to a five-year, $46-million contract with the reliever, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network.
The deal includes an opt-out after the third season, Morosi adds, which would follow Suarez's age-34 campaign.
The 31-year-old broke out last season in his first year in the majors, authoring a 2.27 ERA and 3.22 FIP over 47 2/3 innings while notching one save.
Before this year, Suarez played five seasons in Japan's NPB, posting a 2.81 ERA over 205 innings while making 191 appearances. He took a huge step forward in his final campaign in 2021 before joining the Padres, putting up a 1.16 ERA and 0.77 WHIP with 42 saves in 62 1/3 innings for the Hanshin Tigers.
Suarez was considered one of the top relievers on the free-agent market before re-signing with San Diego.
He is the second notable reliever to land a big deal this offseason after Edwin Diaz re-signed with the New York Mets on a record-breaking $102-million deal.
Kenley Jansen, Aroldis Chapman, Craig Kimbrel, and Taylor Rogers are the biggest remaining relievers available to sign.
The deal comes at the start of his foray into free agency, which opened at 5:00 p.m. ET on Thursday.