Free-agent pitcher Brent Suter and the Cincinnati Reds are in agreement on a contract, pending physical, according to sources familiar with the deal.
The deal pays Suter $2.5 million in 2024 and includes a $3.5 million club option with a $500,000 buyout.
Suter, 34, received interest from eight teams, with some inquiring about him as a potential starting pitcher, sources say. Teams were intrigued by his ability to keep the ball in the park (three homers allowed in 69.1 innings), his splits against right-handed hitters, and his ability to pitch multiple innings out of the bullpen.
Cincinnati Reds sign pitcher Brent Suter
In Milwaukee, Suter established himself as one of the Brewers’ most dependable left-handed arms where he posted a 3.51 ERA and 338 strikeouts in seven seasons before being traded to the Rockies. In Colorado, he posted a 3.38 ERA in 57 appearances, and did not allow a homer in 38 innings at the hitters’ friendly Coors Field.
With Suter off the board, there are still many impact relievers on a market that is led by Josh Hader, who is drawing interest from contending teams. Other relievers on the market include Jordan Hicks, Robert Stephenson, Phil Maton, Hector Neris, David Robertson, Ryan Brasier, Collin McHugh, Aroldis Chapman, Jakob Junis and Liam Hendriks, among others.
The teams in the bullpen market, sources say, include the Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox, among others.