It seems almost unfathomable, but Jack Suwinski led the Pittsburgh Pirates in home runs just two years ago.
The outfielder went deep 26 times in 144 games in 2023. Bryan Reynolds is the only Pirates player to have more home runs in a season in this decade, hitting 27 in 2022.
Suwinski's 26-homer season came after he hit 19 longballs as a rookie in 2022. With 45 home runs in the first 250 games of his career, Suwinski looked like he was going to be a key contributor for many years.
However, Suwinski has followed up with two awful seasons.
In 2024, he hit .182/.264/.324 with nine home runs in 88 games. Suwinski's slash line sank to .147/.281/.253 this season with three homers in 59 games.
The Pirates now have an interesting decision to make on Suwinski. He is eligible for salary arbitration for the first time this winter, and the Pirates must decide whether to give him another chance, release him, or trade him if they can find a taker.
MLB Trade Rumors recently released their annual arbitration projections. MLBTR expects Suwinski to get a $1.75-million salary if he goes through the arbitration process.
That is not an exorbitant salary, and most teams would likely tender Suwinski a contract. However, the Pirates watch every penny closely, and their payrolls are often among the bottom five in the major leagues.
Also working against Suwinski is that his career has clearly been in a steep downward direction since 2024. Combined over the last two seasons, the 27-year-old has -2.1 bWAR and 59 OPS+
Those brutal numbers suggest it's time for the Pirates to move on.
However, the Pirates are desperate for power and have not been willing to spend money on sluggers under Bob Nutting's ownership. The Pirates hit an MLB-low 117 home runs this year, 31 fewer than any other team. The St. Louis Cardinals had 148.
If the Pirates can get Suswinski even remotely back to his 2023 form, which included 13 stolen bases, they would have a very reasonably priced power hitter.
Thus, it might not be automatic for the Pirates to cut him loose.