When things are going as well as they can, the San Diego Padres have the best bullpen in Major League Baseball, and it might not be close.
That all starts with right-handed closer Robert Suarez, who has 35 saves on the year and a 2.90 ERA. Suarez's strikeout stuff might not be as great as he was expecting it to be, striking out 63 hitters in that span, but he's never been much of a strikeout pitcher.
Still, the two-time All-Star continues to get out at a very high level, leading the National League in saves.
Padres' Robert Suarez could get richer
Somewhat of a late bloomer in Major League Baseball, Suarez made his debut in 2022 at the age of 31. Now 34, he has a player option for the upcoming year.
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, he expects him to opt out of that deal and get a richer contract this winter.
“Robert Suarez, Padres, closer: The 34-year-old right-hander is not going to get the sort of long-term contract Díaz receives but looking for greater riches than the two years and $16 million he's due on his current deal makes plenty of sense,” he wrote on Thursday.
For the Padres, there won't be much of a reason to consider allowing Suarez to walk.
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Even if he costs a bit more than what they're hoping to pay him, he's the type of arm that has to stay around.
Losing bullpen pieces is one of the worst decisions any team could make, especially when it's the strength of a team.
The Padres acquired Mason Miller during the trade deadline, but some suspect that he could be a future starter.
If that's truly the Padres' thinking, there's even more of a reason to keep Suarez around.