The Seattle Mariners have reunited with Eugenio Suarez, landing the veteran slugger in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks at the deadline. But Suarez was only in Arizona because the Mariners dealt him to the Diamondbacks after the 2023 season.
Seattle’s president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto now acknowledges that his decision to ship Suarez to the desert was a mistake. “One of my least favorite trades I ever did… If we could’ve called and asked for a re-do after winter meetings, [we] would’ve done it,” Dipoto said of moving on from Suarez in 2023, per FOX 13 Seattle’s Alyssa Charlston-Smith.
Dipoto explained the regrettable decision by adding, “We were trying to manage a restrictive payroll at the time.”
Mariners fix mistake with Eugenio Suarez reunion after deadline deal
Suarez led the Mariners in home runs (31) and RBI (87) and was second on the team with 4.1 bWAR in his 2022 debut with the club. Seattle finished 90-72 that season and reached the playoffs for the first time in 21 years.
The following season, however, Suarez’s production dipped as he led the league with 214 strikeouts. The Mariners missed the playoffs and Dipoto decided to deal Suarez to the Diamondbacks. He got reliever Carlos Vargas and catcher Seby Zavala in return for the slugger.
Vargas is still a member of the Mariners bullpen. Zavala, on the other hand, is currently toiling in the Red Sox’s farm system. He logged just 39 at-bats for Seattle in 2024.
Fortunately, the Mariners weren’t too concerned about the position as the team already had a promising catcher. Cal Raleigh hit 30 home runs when he last teamed up with Suarez in 2023.
Now the pair will reunite in 2025, with Raleigh in the midst of a historic season. The incredible campaign currently has Raleigh as the frontrunner to win AL MVP. And Suarez is on a career-best pace with 36 home runs and an MLB-leading 87 RBI (he and Raleigh are tied for the lead).
Dipoto did well to correct the mistake he made two years ago. The addition of Suarez gives the Mariners a championship-caliber offense as the team now boasts one of the more formidable lineups in the league.
Seattle’s front office is clearly all in on the 2025 season after major upgrades at the corner infield spots with Suarez and Josh Naylor. If the rotation can regain its dominant 2024 form, the Mariners will be set up for a deep playoff run.
