With the Seattle Mariners in the thick of it over in the American League West, they had to make a move. And did they ever: Deep into the night on Wednesday, Seattle acquired slugger Eugenio Suarez in a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Suarez had been hitting the cover off the baseball all season long in Phoenix, and his power bat was widely seen as the best potential trade piece to be had by anyone at the deadline.
Seattle enters the final day of July at 57-52 on the season. That has the Mariners five games back of Houston in the division, tied with Texas for second place in the AL West. Looking up at Boston and New York in the AL Wild Card standings, every win the rest of the way counts. While Cal Raleigh has been the preeminent power hitter in the American League this year, Suarez hopes to challenge him.
While I have never been one to do cartwheels in the street over landing a prospect or two in the rare event in which my team sucks (boy, do the Atlanta Braves suck now...), I am always intrigued by seeing where the heavy hitters like Suarez end up at each deadline. He could be the missing piece to finally help the Mariners win a pennant. They need to catch fire down the stretch, but this team has promise.
As for these five other teams who were vying to potentially trade for him, I feel they missed out badly.
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5. Philadelphia Phillies
Even though the Cincinnati Reds beg to differ, the top six teams in the National League have started to assert themselves. The Philadelphia Phillies are chief among them. For the better part of the season, they have been neck-and-neck with the rival New York Mets for NL East supremacy. Given this is the division I pay the closest attention to, I have notice New York has usually been a bit better.
While I think the Phillies can win the NL East as is, I do wonder what the consequences will be if they do not win the World Series in October. They got to one in 2022, but they have been progressively worse each postseason since. To me, this feels like a team who may or may not have accepted that its championship window is about to close. Adding Suarez may have given them a boost they needed.
I am not sure if he would have fully gotten them past the Mets, but at least Suarez went over to the AL.
4. Milwaukee Brewers
Entering the final day of July, the Milwaukee Brewers have the best record in baseball at 64-44. This is a team that has played very good baseball over the last several weeks. What I have always liked about this team over the last decade plus is they seem to thrive when they feel rather disrespected. My big concern with them is that they have so little experience being the hunted, as opposed to the hunter.
Even with Chicago right on their tails in the NL Central, as well as pesky Cincinnati not fully out of it, I wonder how I would have felt if Suarez was dealt to another National League team. What if he went to Chicago? I would think far less about the Brewers' chances of winning a World Series if he went to a rival team. I think they should be just fine with their collection of players, but every big move matters.
For whatever reason, Milwaukee really feels like a team that could lose in the NLDS as the No. 1 seed.
3. Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are the epitome of a front-running organization. When it is good within the Friendly Confines, there are no better vibes in all of baseball. When things are not going well, their rabid fan base wants to fire everyone. Chicago got off to a great start this season with a strong lineup and a makeshift bullpen. But with Milwaukee having hit its stride and Cincinnati coming on, will they get lapped?
Even if the Cubs do not win the division, I have a rather hard time seeing them not making the NL postseason as one of three Wild Card teams. You would be looking at either them or Milwaukee in the NL Central, New York or Philadelphia in the NL East and either Los Angeles or San Diego in the NL West. Cincinnati is still in it, but I think the Cubs passing on a powerful right-handed bat will hurt them.
Again, their biggest saving grace is that Suarez switched leagues upon being traded to the Mariners.
2. New York Yankees
The New York Yankees have to be the most frustratingly good team in baseball. I swear that their fan base's love/hate relationship with this team is unlike any other in MLB today. Truth be told, they all cannot stand skipper Aaron Boone, who really holds them back. The same thing applies to long-time general manager Brian Cashman. And despite it all, the AL East may get three teams into the postseason this October.
While I do not know if Suarez would have been the right fit for what the Yankees need, him going to another contender in the American League in Seattle poses a threat to New York. Furthermore, you are in a tough three-team battle in the division with Toronto and Boston. Given that the Yankees won the American League last year, anything short of a World Series trip would be a disappointment.
For a team as talented as the Yankees appear to be, why do they feel like such a high-variance club?
1. Detroit Tigers
It is not even remotely close. The Detroit Tigers fell asleep at their desk last night, while the Mariners ate their lunch. Detroit hit the ground running out of spring training with a start that I can only describe as 1984 vibes. We are looking at a Tigers team that could be as good as those 1984 World Series Champions, or maybe as good the 2006 or 2012 American League pennant teams.
Suarez was the player to go all-in on, and the Tigers blew it. They may be out on easy street in the laughable AL Central, but that is not who they are competing against now. They are competing with the best teams in baseball for postseason supremacy. It feels like the best Tigers' season in a decade. Arizona plays in the other league. How could they possibly let Suarez go to a worse off AL contender?
If the Tigers do not win the AL pennant this season, not acquiring Suarez will be a big reason for that.