With Midnight Acquisition of Eugenio Suarez, Mariners Are Now Primed For Big Playoff Run

Good morning, Seattle!

Baseball fans in the Emerald City might have had a little trouble sleeping last night, after the biggest scene in the 2025 Major League Baseball trade deadline drama played out around 9 p.m. local time, with the Mariners reportedly bringing back Eugenio Suarez from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for three prospects according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

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It was the second trade between the two clubs in seven days, after the Diamondbacks sent first baseman Josh Naylor to the Mariners for minor leaguer Ashton Izzi and reliever Brandyn Garcia.

Suarez, the best bat and the biggest name on the trading block before Thursday’s 6 p.m. EDT trade deadline, gives the Mariners another powerful bat in the lineup to protect MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh. His 36 homers are the most for a player traded midseason, three more than the 34 that Mark McGwire had when the Oakland A’s shipped him to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1997. Suarez was hit on the right hand by a pitch on Monday night, but a CT scan was negative and he was back in the lineup the next day.

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It will be Suarez’ second stint with the Mariners after having played in Seattle in 2022 and 2023, and it comes in the final year of a seven-year, $66 million contract he signed with the Cincinnati Reds in 2018. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

The Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela native joins a Mariners team five games back of the first-place Houston Astros in the American League West and tied with their division rival Texas Rangers for the final AL Wild Card spot. The acquisition strengthens the top of the Mariners’ lineup significantly, though manager Dan Wilson will now have to juggle his Nos. 1-5 hitters a bit to find the right fit for everyone. Overall, the trade signals that the Mariners think they can win now, while the Diamondbacks are throwing in the towel on 2025.

Last night in Sacramento, J.P. Crawford led off, followed by Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh, and Randy Arozarena, with Naylor batting fifth in the Mariners’ 5-4 loss to the Athletics. Suarez, with 36 homers and 87 RBIs this season, has better offensive numbers than all of those guys save for Raleigh, so someone has to move. If Raleigh is to bat third, as the now-conventional wisdom dictates that a team’s best offensive threat is the three-hole hitter, expect Suarez to bat either second or fourth. The better move is probably to bat Suarez fourth, which is exactly where he was in the Arizona lineup during a 7-4 loss at Detroit Wednesday night, as it would provide better protection to Raleigh than Arozarena can provide.

That would likely move Arozarena to the fifth spot. Raleigh was the DH last night, getting a night off from catching, and Suarez splits his time between DH and third base, which is — or more likely, was — nine-hole hitter Ben Williamson‘s spot last night. When Raleigh DH’s, expect Suarez to be the starter at third. Williamson, a rookie, has posted 1.3 bWAR this season in 85 games in Seattle, but is likely to be shifted to a bench role with Suarez’ acquisition.

While Suarez, 33, is getting older, this season has seen him have a resurgence at the plate, where he is tied for the MLB lead in RBIs with 87, alongside his now teammate Cal Raleigh, and his 36 homers are the most he’s hit since the 2019 season, when Suarez was a Cincinnati Red.

Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks get three prospects — first baseman Tyler Locklear, the No. 9 prospect in the Mariners organization according to MLB Pipeline, along with righty relievers Hunter Cranton and Juan Burgos, the No. 16 and 17 prospects, respectively — in return.

For the Diamondbacks, the Suarez and Naylor trades signal that, at 51-58, this season is not going anywhere. Locklear appeared in 16 games for Seattle last season, but has spent the entire year at Triple-A Tacoma, where he’s batted .316/.401/.542 with 19 homers and 82 RBIs in 98 games. With Arizona having sent their starting first baseman in Josh Naylor to Seattle last week, it’s very possible Locklear will be an everyday Major Leaguer when he lands in the desert.

Burgos, from Santiago, Dominican Republic, has made four appearances in relief for Seattle, throwing 6 2/3 innings with a 4.05 ERA, but has spent the bulk of the season with Double-A Arkansas, making 28 appearances with a 0.64 ERA over 28 innings, which signals that he could be ready for more MLB action, providing depth in a rather weak Arizona bullpen.

Cranton has thrown 10 innings this season, posting a 1.13 ERA over eight innings of work in the High-A Northwest League with Everett.

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Photo: Eugenio Suarez stands on the stairs of the dugout during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)