When the San Diego Padres acquired Mason Miller at last year’s trade deadline, it appeared likely they would let closer Robert Suarez walk in free agency.
Suarez did not make his MLB debut until he was 31, but he accomplished great things with the Padres, including back-to-back All-Star appearances in 2024 and 2025. This past year, he led the National League with 40 saves and struck out 75 batters in 69.2 innings.
There could be more than a handful of clubs interested in Suarez this winter, and Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly believes the Los Angeles Dodgers make the most sense. The Dodgers’ closer, Tanner Scott, led MLB with 10 blown saves after signing a four-year, $72 million contract this past January.
“That’s fine, there will be other contending teams happy to have him [Suarez] join their bullpen,” Kelly wrote about the Padres letting Suarez sign elsewhere. “The two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers, much to the chagrin of Padres fans, make quite a bit of sense for Suarez. As do the AL champion Blue Jays and the Braves, among others.”
As the Dodgers organization has shown in recent years, they are not afraid to spend their money to improve the roster.
Adding a reliever like Suarez could help them limit the bullpen troubles they had in 2025. Kelly’s contract prediction for the right-hander is $26 million on a two-year deal, with a $14 million club option for 2028.
Suarez will turn 35 in April, so there could be some signs of decline in the next few years, but he still averaged 98.6 mph on his fastball.
Conor Liguori is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He grew up in Westchester County, New York, and enjoys watching basketball and hockey in his free time. Conor has covered professional baseball leagues like the KBO, NPB, CPBL and LBPRC in Puerto Rico. His work has been featured on Athlon, Heavy and other outlets.