Reliever Robert Suarez, Padres Finalize $46M, 5-Year Deal

Reliever Robert Suarez and the San Diego Padres finalized a $46 million, five-year contract on Thursday, a deal that could be worth $61 million if he closes regularly and stays healthy.

Suarez gets $10 million in each of the next three seasons and after the 2025 World Series must decide whether to exercise $8 million player options for 2026 and 2027, which must be exercised together.

He can earn $3 million annually in performance bonuses for games finished: $250,000 each for 20, 25, 30 and 35, and $500,000 apiece for 40, 45, 50 and 55.

Suarez gets a hotel suite on road trips and cannot be sent to the minor leagues without his consent. He will become a free agent at the end of the contract.

The right-hander appeared in 45 games last season for San Diego and posted a 5-1 record with a 2.27 ERA. The 31-year-old made his major league debut on April 7, giving up three runs and not recording an out against Arizona. He would allow only nine earned runs the rest of the season.

Suarez had a 3.00 ERA over seven appearances in the postseason. He took the loss in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series when the Padres were eliminated by Philadelphia.

A native of Bolivar, Venezuela, Suarez pitched for the Hanshin Tigers of Japan’s Cental League in 2021. He finished with 42 saves as he posted a 1.16 ERA. Suarez spent several seasons in NPB, where he went 7–13 with a 2.81 ERA.

In 2015, Suarez pitched for Saraperos de Saltillo in the Mexican League. He was 5–0 with 23 saves.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports