At the MLB trade deadline, Tigers president of baseball operation Scott Harris preached patience when explaining his relative inaction. Detroit, at the time, was first place in the AL Central by a wide margin and among the favorites to win the American League. What's happened since has only heightened Harris' mistakes, which included trading for flawed bullpen arms that haven't quite delivered up to expectation. Kyle Finnegan excluded, the likes of Charlie Morton (no longer with the team), Rafael Montero and more simply didn't cut it.
In late July, the Tigers were linked to a number of high-profile stars, including then-Arizona Diamondbacks slugger Eugenio Suarez. Suarez, who started his MLB career with the Tigers and has since become a player Detroit never thought he'd be – a power-hitting righty who can hold his own defensively. Suarez was available and it's believed Harris discussed a possible trade with the Diamondback, which weren't sold on dealing Suarez, as a second-half NL Wild Card run wasn't beyond reach.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Eugenio Suarez wanted to be a Tiger, but Scott Harris balked
Suarez was coveted by many teams in need of third base help at the deadline. After missing on Alex Bregman last winter, the Tigers finished among the worst in the league in third base OPS. Suarez would've only been a part-time solution to that problem, as he's a free agent after this season. However, in comments made just prior to the deadline when Detroit hosted Arizona, he explained why he was open to a deal back to the Tigers.
"To finish where everything started, it would be cool," Suárez said. "It would mean a lot to me."
As FanSided's Cody Williams explained back in July, the Tigers had a substantial edge over most contending teams chasing Suarez in part thanks to their farm system.
"Not only could the Diamondbacks do right by the player, but they would be better off for it. The Tigers have a Top 10 farm system in baseball by just about any ranking, and a Top 5 system in some," Williams wrote.
What fans and pundits around baseball underestimated – and what Tigers fans have known since Harris took over – is just how much he values that farm system. Harris prefers to build from within, proving himself and his scouting department right in the process. By trading for Suarez, he'd be admitting defeat on some of those very prospects. He couldn't bring himself to do it.
Eugenio Suarez's revenge proved the Mariners right, and was a long time coming
Just as Suarez was a former Tiger, he also spent much of the prime of his career with the Seattle Mariners. In fact, the best season of Suarez's career came with Seattle in 2022, when he had a 4.1 WAR and 31 home runs. That's the player the Mariners traded for, and while Suarez has struggled mightily since he was acquired, he finally proved Jerry DiPoto right on Tuesday night.
EUGENIO SUÁREZ GOES YARD! #ALDS pic.twitter.com/dMOXSMM0AH
— MLB (@MLB) October 8, 2025
Yes, that is Suarez hitting a solo home run off Jack Flaherty to extend the Mariners lead. For those who have watched the Tigers for most of September and now October, overcoming a three-run deficit is no easy task for this team. They're lucky to score three runs in the first place.
The Suarez clutch hits were few and far between in the second half for Seattle. Suarez hit under the mendoza line for the Mariners in 53 games, and had just 13 home runs as compared to his 36 with the Diamondbacks in just over 100 games. He was a shell of the player he was when the Mariners acquired him.
In one at-bat, Suarez made up for all of those faults in a big way. With a win on Tuesday, the Mariners would be just one win away from the ALCS, and their first postseason series victory ever. That is what DiPoto traded for and then some.