Yes, every team wants Eugenio Suárez at the MLB trade deadline and yes, every team thinks they have the perfect package to get it done. But what if the Seattle Mariners... actually do? The Mariners, who Suárez played for in 2022 and 2023, have a pressing need at third base. That wouldn't be true if the team didn't deal Suárez to the Diamondbacks as a cut-cutting move (gross) in the first place, but I digress. Rookie Ben Williamson has been solid defensively at the hot corner, but doesn't provide much at the plate (.612 OPS), and if this team wants any chance at catching the Astros in the AL West, it needs another bat or two to strengthen a lineup that falls off quickly after a strong first four.
So a deal for Suárez makes perfect sense from the M's perspective. In order for it to make sense from the D'Backs perspective, they'll need to add some real young talent, and reports are that they're looking for young pitchers specifically. Let's make a deal.
Mock trade: Mariners deal two pitching prospects to Diamondbacks for Eugenio Suárez
In this mock trade, the Mariners get their power bat, and the Diamondbacks get a pitching prospect in Perez (Mariners No. 21 prospect) who could be MLB-ready by next year, and another prospect in Sloan (Mariners No. 8 prospect) who won't crack the big leagues for a few years but has really promising upside.
Sloan was a second-round pick by the Mariners last year, and has looked fantastic in his first year at Single-A. His fastball might hit triple-digits at some point and has an arsenal outside of the heater, too. Mariners fans are going to come at me for putting him in this deal, and I understand why — Sloan projects to be really good in a few years, and this would be for a few months of a player who has already been a Mariner once.
I get it. But when half of MLB wants a player, and you've made the playoffs one time in 24 years, you have to give up talent to get difference-makers. Giving up Sloan would hurt, but giving up Noelvi Marte to get Luis Castillo hurt too, and Castillo has been a machine in the Mariners rotation ever since. It never feels good to give up guys who could turn into something great... but the Mariners (who have a deep farm system outside of Sloan) need to prioritize winning now, not in 2029.
Eugenio Suárez could swing the AL West in Seattle's favor
With about 60 games left, the Mariners are five games back of the Astros in the AL West. Adding one of the best sluggers in the game is the kind of move that would inch the team closer to finally overtaking the team that has tortured them for the past decade.
Eventually, Houston's injury misfortune has to catch up to them (I think) so the Mariners need to lock in, add a bat, and give themselves a chance at the division. Yes, they'll have to give up talent to do it, and yes it would hurt — it would also be 100 percent worth it if they win the division. Did you, Mariners fan, have fun watching Taylor Trammell tee off on your team last weekend? I didn't think so.