If the New York Mets are serious about contending next year, they need to protect Juan Soto in the middle of the lineup. After bulking up their bullpen and eventually adding starting pitching, they need to add right-handed power to the lineup to make up for Pete Alonso heading to Baltimore.
Instead of focusing on the top of the free agent board, they could look at a second-tier infielder like Eugenio Suarez.
The Mets have made it clear this winter that adding offense remains a priority, particularly right-handed power that can lengthen the lineup and prevent teams from pitching around Soto. Suarez may not be the flashiest remaining option, but his profile fits what the Mets still lack.
Former MLB general manager Jim Bowden recently wrote that Suarez’s best fit might be with non-contending teams such as the Pirates, Athletics, or Angels. The logic is straightforward. Suarez could sign with a rebuilding club, rebuild his value, and then be traded at the deadline to a contender with a pressing need, much like he was last season.
The Mets have an opportunity to skip that process.
Suarez, 33, is coming off an uneven 2025 season that helps explain why his market has cooled. He finished the year with 49 home runs and 118 RBIs, showcasing his power, but his production slipped after being traded as he hit.189 with 13 homers and 31 RBIs in 53 games post-trade. That inconsistency carried into the postseason, where he hit.213 with three home runs and eight RBIs in 12 games. That mix of age, a late-season slide and a modest October often pushes veterans toward shorter-term deals, which is precisely the type of contract the Mets have been comfortable pursuing when the fit makes sense.
From a lineup standpoint, Suarez checks an important box. With Soto anchoring the left side, the Mets still lack a consistent right-handed power threat behind him. Suarez brings exactly that. He comes with strikeouts and streakiness, but pitchers have to respect his power, especially in run-producing spots.
Timing could also work in the Mets’ favor. Suarez is likely waiting until Bo Bichette and Alex Bregman come off the board before his market fully develops. That waiting game could create an opening for New York to move quickly once the board clears.
