The first major trade deadline deal of the year just went down, as the Seattle Mariners acquired Josh Naylor from the Arizona Diamondbacks. This deal was a no-brainer for the Mariners who, now, have arguably one of the best lineups in the American League. And wih Naylor off the board, all eyes turn to his ex-teammate Eugenio Suarez on the trade block.
Suarez is the best bat available, and it feels like half the league is interested in acquiring him because of that, including the New York Yankees. For much of the past week or two, it's felt as if the Yankees were facing an uphill battle to acquire Suarez, given their relatively limited farm system compared to some of Suarez's other suitors. But now, after seeing the Naylor return, the tides might have completely shifted.
It feels as if the Yankees have as good of a shot as any team to acquire Suarez now.
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Josh Naylor return might impact Eugenio Suarez asking price
In exchange for Naylor, the Diamondbacks acquired Brandyn Garcia and Ashton Izzi, Seattle's No. 13 and No. 16 prospects per MLB Pipeline. The Diamondbacks didn't get nothing, especially since Garcia is practically MLB-ready, but they didn't exactly get an exciting return.
That is to be expected, to an extent. While Naylor can really hit, he's a first baseman who isn't a good defender, doesn't offer value on the base paths and is on an expiring contract. Two months of what's really a bat-only player isn't traditionally valued very highly.
With that being said, Naylor might end up being the best non-Suarez bat that gets moved. The trade market isn't expected to include much high-end position player talent, and Naylor, while he isn't Suarez, is a very good hitter. He has 25+ home run power, doesn't strike out much at all and gets on base a good amount. He was an All-Star last season, has a 124 OPS+ this season and has had some big postseason moments as well.
No disrespect to Garcia or Izzi, but in what world should arguably the second-best bat available be going for a pair of mid-teens prospects in Seattle's system? And if that's what the second-best bat goes for, why should Suarez go for the haul the Diamondbacks are dreaming of?
Naylor has his flaws, but Suarez's flaws are similar. He, like Naylor, has underwhelmed in the field this season and offers little value on the base paths. He has more power than Naylor, but Naylor makes a lot more contact. Suarez is having a far better year and is playing a more valuable position, so he should have a higher trade value, but how does Naylor get traded for what he evidently was, and then Suarez get traded for high-end prospects? That wouldn't make much sense.
And if Suarez's value is perhaps not as high as once thought, the Yankees can take full advantage.
Yankees are better positioned to acquire Eugenio Suarez after Josh Naylor deal
New York's three best prospects are shortstop George Lombard Jr., outfielder Spencer Jones and right-hander Cam Schlittler. It's hard to envision Brian Cashman trading any of them, let alone for a rental. After the Naylor trade, it's reasonable to suspect that he might not have to.
The Diamondbacks are looking for starting pitching, and whether it's Carlos Lagrange, Ben Hess, Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz or Bryce Cunningham, New York has several starters it can realistically part with to win a Suarez bidding war without having to even consider trading one of their three best prospects.
It felt as if the Yankees were a slight long shot because of their reluctance to trade from the top of their farm. Now that they might not have to, they've got a better shot than most give them credit for.