Padres sign Robert Suarez to five-year contract

SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Padres have signed right-handed pitcher Robert Suarez to a five-year contract through the 2027 season, President of Baseball Operations and General Manager A.J. Preller announced today. The agreement includes a player opt-out clause after the 2025 season.

Suarez, 31, made 45 relief appearances in his first Major League season in 2022, going 5-1 with a 2.27 ERA (12 ER, 47.2 IP), .176 opponents’ average, 11.52 SO/9 IP ratio, one save and 12 holds. He became one of just six relievers in MLB history to allow 0 earned runs across 20+ home appearances in a single regular season campaign, with St. Louis’ Kevin Siegrist in 2013 being the most recent hurler to do so. He was scoreless in each of his first five career Postseason appearances in 2022 across the Wild Card Series and NLDS, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out five. His seven relief outings during the Postseason tied with Nick Martinez for most on the club, and overall he went 0-1 with three holds, 3.00 ERA (3 ER, 9.0 IP) and .291 opponents’ average in the playoffs.

The Bolivar, Venezuela native spent the 2021 season pitching for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball Organization and went 1-1 with a 1.16 ERA (8 ER, 62.1 IP), 0.77 WHIP (40 H, 8 BB) and 58 strikeouts (25.3% SO rate) over 62 relief appearances. He led all NPB pitchers with 42 saves and posted a 3.5% walk rate (two IBB). Over six seasons in the NPB, Suarez compiled a 7-13 record with a 2.81 ERA (64 ER, 20.50 IP), 1.16 WHIP and 209 strikeouts to just 70 walks (3.34 SO/BB ratio) in 191 career games between the Tigers (2020-21) and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (2016-19). He also spent the 2015 campaign pitching for the Saraperos de Saltillo in the Mexican League, going 5-0 with 23 saves and a 1.71 ERA (9 ER, 47.1 IP) in 43 relief appearances.