San Diego Padres closer Robert Suarez opted out of the final two seasons and $16 million of his deal with the Friars, entering free agency for the first time after four seasons in MLB.
Suarez, 34, has been among the best closers in MLB over the past couple of seasons, recording 76 saves over the last two years and leading the National League in the stat in 2025, when he had 40. He has a collective 2.91 ERA throughout his time in MLB, and has struck out 219 batters in 210 innings.
Every team in MLB could use an elite closer such as Suarez, and Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer believes the Los Angeles Dodgers are the most likely team to snatch up the closer ahead of the 2026 season.
The Dodgers pulled a similar maneuver last offseason, signing Tanner Scott during free agency after a solid half-season with the Padres. Scott didn’t quite pan out for the Dodgers, and they could very well be looking for a closer after their bullpen severely underperformed over the last month of the regular season and the postseason.
LA largely used starters out of their bullpen during the postseason after their regular relief arms posted a 4.90 ERA in September, which ranked third-worst in the National League that month. Starters to come out of the bullpen for the Dodgers in the postseason included Emmet Sheehan, Roki Sasaki, Clayton Kershaw, Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
“The Dodgers won the World Series very much in spite of their bullpen, and it won’t have Roki Sasaki around to redeem it next year,” Rymer wrote. “They therefore figure to be in the market for a top-tier closer, and signing Suarez would be a double whammy of filling that need and taking a major weapon away from their top NL West rival.”
Suarez is, without a doubt, one of the most valuable arms on the market despite his age, and Rymer believes he will sign a four-year, $64 million contract before the end of the offseason. Suarez’s decision on where to sign will likely depend on what Edwin Diaz, another top-quality closer who opted out of his contract this offseason, decides to do during the winter.
Regardless of his choice, though, Suarez is sure to get offers during free agency as one of this season’s best available relief arms.
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