Eugenio Suarez is on waivers, and the Blue Jays should be paying close attention.
The Reds put the veteran third baseman on the wire, opening the door for any team willing to take on his contract.
For a Blue Jays offense that's struggled to produce runs consistently all season, that timing feels almost too convenient.
Suarez has had a rough go this year, hitting .208 with 19 home runs and 57 RBIs across 104 games, with 143 strikeouts against just 41 walks.
Those strikeout numbers are ugly. But there's still real pop in that bat, and pop is exactly what Toronto's lineup has been missing.
Last season, Suarez hit 48 home runs, proof of the kind of ceiling still buried somewhere in that swing.
He's actually been hot lately too, picking up eight hits with two home runs over his last 10 games.
Why the fit makes sense for both sides right now
Toronto ranks near the bottom of the league in both runs scored and home runs this season. A power bat off waivers costs almost nothing beyond the money owed.
Claiming Suarez wouldn't require giving up a prospect, just a willingness to absorb his contract and a roster spot.
For a Blue Jays team clinging to a wild-card spot with an offense this thin, that's about as low-risk as a upgrade gets.
The swing-and-miss concerns are real. A hitter striking out at this rate isn't a finished product, especially in high-leverage spots.
But adding thump to a lineup that's been starved for it all year could be worth the trade-off, particularly with 30-some games left to matter most.
Whether Toronto actually puts in a claim, or lets another club take the swing, is the question worth watching over the next few days.
Should the Blue Jays claim Eugenio Suarez off waivers for a power boost down the stretch?
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