The San Diego Padres and right-handed reliever Robert Suarez have agreed to a contract extension, reports Jon Morosi of Fox Sports. The deal is for five years and $46 million with an opt-out clause after three years, per Morosi.
Suarez, 31, made his MLB debut this season with the Padres after five seasons in Japan's NPB. He proved to be an incredibly effective late-inning man for the Padres through the course of the season; in 45 appearances, he pitched to a 2.27 ERA and 1.05 WHIP with 61 strikeouts in 47 2/3 innings.
By playoff time, he was the primary setup man for All-Star closer Josh Hader. Unfortunately, Suarez giving up the go-ahead home run to Bryce Harper in Game 5 of the NLCS, leading to the Padres' elimination, might be what many people remember (though it could easily be argued he shouldn't have been facing Harper). It should be balanced, however, with the knowledge that he was very impressive in the playoffs before that outing and even went two innings in Game 2 against the Dodgers to help his team hold on in a game that probably saved their season.
While this was only Suarez's first year in Major League Baseball, he had an opt-out clause in his deal and triggered it (a no-brainer in what could be his only chance to make life-changing money in the majors).
So much can change in the offseason, but as things stand, the Padres figure to be contenders again next year with Suarez setting up for Hader all season and that's quite the 1-2 punch at the end of games.
