Reds Cut Ties With Suarez and Johnson as Pagan Also Heads to Free Agency

The Cincinnati Reds made a trio of roster decisions on Saturday, sending three veterans into free agency in one swoop. The club announced it had declined the mutual options on infielder Eugenio Suarez and right-hander Pierce Johnson, making both players free agents. Johnson's option was worth $8 million, while Suarez's was worth $16 million. Just before that news broke, reliever Emilio Pagan announced that he would be declining his $10 million option, also heading to the market. The moves leave Cincinnati's 40-man roster at 35 players as the offseason roster churn continues across baseball. Johnson, the club said, simply did not pitch well enough in 2026 to justify his $8 million price tag, and mutual options of this kind almost never survive both sides of the decision in any case. The Reds' decisions follow a busy week of option calls around the league, with clubs across both leagues declining mutual and club options and paying buyouts rather than committing to 2027 salaries, as free agency prepares to open on November 2.