Eugenio Suárez, TJ Friedl Clear Waivers Unclaimed, Will Remain With Reds

Eugenio Suárez and TJ Friedl both went unclaimed on outright waivers and are expected to remain with the Reds, per Charlie Goldsmith of FOX 19. C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic adds that both players are expected to be with the club for Friday's game at Wrigley Field.

Cincinnati had placed the pair on outright waivers Tuesday ahead of the Sept. 1 postseason eligibility deadline, per the report — the mechanism being that a claiming team would absorb the remaining salary obligations, saving the Reds some cash. No team bit.

The financial picture

Suárez is still owed approximately $2.57MM of his $15MM salary. Friedl has roughly $633K remaining on his $3.8MM arbitration salary. The waiver gambit not paying off means Cincinnati carries both figures to the finish line.

Why nobody claimed them

The lack of interest is not particularly surprising given the production — or the absence of it — from both players this season, per Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors.

Suárez is batting .208/.295/.410 across 410 plate appearances, a mark that grades out about 9% worse than league average by wRC+. He has 19 home runs and a 10% walk rate, but a 34.9% strikeout rate has accompanied the power. His time as a viable third baseman appears to be behind him: in 315 innings at the hot corner this season he has posted -5 Defensive Runs Saved and -7 Outs Above Average.

Friedl's season has been rougher still. He has been a genuine asset in center field — 5 DRS and 5 OAA in 433 innings — but his bat has cratered. A 1-for-34 slump has dragged his line to .158/.242/.234 through 253 plate appearances.

What comes next for each

Suárez's one-year contract carries a $16MM mutual option with no buyout attached, which is an unusual structural wrinkle. As the report notes, mutual options typically function as accounting tools — a way to shift salary between years via a buyout — and it has been 12 years since both sides exercised one (Aramis Ramirez with the Brewers, per the report). The absence of a buyout makes the option's purpose somewhat opaque.

Friedl's situation is more straightforward, if not more comfortable. The report notes the Reds will have to give serious consideration to non-tendering him. A modest arbitration raise — the report estimates probably a bit north of $4MM — would be difficult to justify against his current production.

For now, both players are reportedly headed to Friday's game with the rest of the club, finishing out a season that neither would describe as a highlight. The bigger decisions arrive this offseason.