Reds announce deal with Cincy native Suter; 5 avoid arbitration
CINCINNATI — A pitcher who grew up in and maintained his ties to Cincinnati is finally going to pitch for his hometown team. The Reds and veteran lefty reliever Brent Suter officially announced on Saturday they’d reached a one-year contract worth a guaranteed $3 million.
The deal will pay Suter $2.5 million in 2024 and includes a $3.5 million club option for the ’25 season with a $500,000 buyout. Suter, 34, can earn another $200,000 in incentive bonuses for games pitched.
“We are super excited, it’s just a dream come true,” Suter said in an interview with MLB.com. “The Reds were my favorite team of any sport, anything for years and years growing up. This is absolutely surreal, so cool.”
Suter is 40-22 with a 3.49 ERA in 253 career games for the Brewers (2016-22) and Rockies (’23). He went to Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati and lives in the city during the offseason.
“This is home base,” he said.
Brent Suter picks off Sosa
Suter pitched 69 1/3 innings with a 3.38 ERA in 57 appearances for Colorado last season.
The Reds have signed a flurry of free agents, and this move is the most recent. Six players total—starting pitcher Frankie Montas, swingman pitcher Nick Martinez, full-time relievers Suter, Emilio Pagán, and Buck Farmer, as well as infielder Jeimer Candelario—have cost the team $108.25 million.
Reliever Daniel Duarte was designated for assignment in a matching move to make room on the 40-man roster for Suter.
The Reds were “pretty much done” with significant changes, according to President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall, with the completion of the Montas contract on January 2.
Frankie Montas on his Reds deal
It transpires that a deal had been discussed for a while and that there was space for an additional free agent.
Suter said, “They were among the first teams to get in touch with us and they called us fairly regularly.” “It was evident that they were curious. We had no idea how engaged they were. They just made some moves in this direction, and things came together fairly fast. It was really exciting. The market this year has been unusually slow, especially for relievers. There were a lot of follow-up calls. This place has been quite exciting lately.
Cincinnati’s bullpen, which already includes two lefties in Alex Young and Sam Moll, is strengthened by the arrival of Suter.
Suter gives the Reds another trustworthy reliever. During the previous season, he made 24 appearances over multiple innings, pitching frequently in high-leverage situations. He also has postseason experience. Cincinnati was second in the National League in terms of bullpen innings played in the previous season.
That’s one of my unique characteristics. Suter said, “I can go multiples a lot.” “I can work three days in a row or come back to back if you need me.” That’s what I’m planning to do. I haven’t discussed it with them in a formal manner yet.
Brent Suter secures the win
Suter has a lot of Reds players as buddies. He is a Moeller alum, as is manager David Bell. Pitching coach Derek Johnson and catcher Luke Maile worked together with Suter while he was a member of the Brewers. Alongside reliever Lucas Sims, Suter has taken part in local Miracle League competitions.
Suter was motivated to sign with the Reds in addition to his home pitching because he wanted to be a part of a contender and have another chance to win.
Suter stated that “it’s a winning culture, an amazing energy, and a really strong group of young core players who are super good and super exciting to watch.” “When we came and played the Reds with the Rockies this past summer, they were in the midst of that 12-game winning streak [in June]. It was unbelievably electric. The city was clearly infatuated with the team. It truly was incredible. Being able to partake in that is such a gift. What a wonderful chance this is. My loved ones and I am overjoyed.
The Reds and five players decide not to pursue arbitration.
Five of the six eligible players for the Reds agreed to one-year contracts that avoided arbitration on Thursday, making it a productive day for the baseball operations department.
Sims is projected to earn $2.850 million in 2024, while the catcher Tyler Stephenson is expected to make $2.525 million, the outfielder Jake Fraley is projected to make $2.150 million, Young is projected to make $1.16 million, and reliever Tejay Antone has committed to making $830,000.
Jonathan India, the second baseman, was the only player eligible for arbitration before the deadline of 1 p.m. ET to avoid a possible hearing the following month. The Reds made an offer of $3.2 million, but India filed an arbitration claim for $4 million.