It's time to bring Eugenio Suárez home

It's unknown whether the D-Backs will sell at the deadline. But if they do, the Mariners should pounce on reuniting with Suárez.

Dave Zalubowski - AP Images

It’s impossible to know whether the Diamondbacks will be sellers this summer. Entering June 28, Arizona is seemingly out of the NL West division race. Yet, they are just 3.5 games out of the final wild card spot with three teams in front of it. Still, if the D-Backs do decide to peddle players from its big-league roster, the Mariners should push hard to bring home Eugenio Suárez.

Yes, that’s a bold statement from a nerd, who generally sticks to stats and avoids hot takes. But calling for a reunion between the Mariners and Suárez, who was with the team in 2022-23, isn’t exactly going out on a limb. Especially when the numbers suggest a return to the Pacific Northwest would greatly benefit Seattle’s offense.

What about the new guy?

To be clear, proposing a trade for an established third baseman isn’t an indictment of rookie Ben Williamson. Perhaps the 24-year-old is Seattle’s future at the position. But an opportunity to add a proven veteran on an expiring contract, like Suárez, shouldn’t be bypassed for the sake of short-term player development. Especially when there’s a glaring need.

Consider this. Since Williamson’s MLB debut on April 15, the Mariners rank 27th in third base SLG with just one home run. It’s been particularly brutal at T-Mobile Park with the team having the second-lowest home OPS from the hot corner since mid-April. It’s worth noting that since his arrival, Seattle’s 2nd round draft pick of 2023 has accounted for 86-percent of the club’s third base plate appearances.

Conversely, Suárez has the highest SLG and has clobbered the most home runs of any third baseman this season. When we compare the offensive production of the Venezuelan to the combined contributions of all Seattle third basemen, there is a sizable gap on display.

Please bear in mind that the preceding comparison includes Williamson and the strong early-season productivity of Jorge Polanco, Dylan Moore, and Miles Mastrobuoni.

A step back defensively

There is one area where Williamson does hold a perceivable advantage over Suárez this season - defense. Regardless of which advanced metric you prefer, assuming you prefer any of them, the rookie rates better than Arizona's current third baseman. Williamson’s one out above average (OAA) is superior to Suárez’s minus-3 OAA. We see a similar edge in defensive runs saved (DRS) with Williamson registering four DRS to Suárez’s minus-1 DRS.

Still, Williamson’s defensive superiority isn’t a reason to shy away from Suárez. At least, I don’t believe so. After all, Seattle’s long-time infield coach, Perry Hill, continues to guide his defenders to be the best versions of themselves. Under “Bone,” Suárez enjoyed his best years as a third baseman. Perhaps a reunion leads to a rebound by the 12-year veteran.

But even if Suárez’s defense didn’t improve, it’s important to note that his presence would benefit the Mariners - just as it currently does the D-Backs. This becomes evident once we review the FanGraphs version of wins above replacement (fWAR), which helps quantify a players’ overall value to his club.

Suárez’s 2.1 fWAR is eighth-best among his third base peers. To date, Williamson has delivered 0.2 fWAR, while all Mariners third basemen have accrued 1.0 fWAR at the position.

Red flag?

I see one potential concern with Suárez. His home and away splits are rather extreme. It’s a trend that began once the Mariners dealt him to the Diamondbacks after the 2023 campaign.

Perhaps “red flag” is too strong of a description. Even though Suárez’s overall production numbers at Chase Field are considerably better than what the 33-year-old delivered away from Phoenix, he hasn’t exactly been terrible on the road. His home run and slugging percentages away from Arizona were considerably better than the MLB averages from the 2023 and 2024 campaigns.

Still, it’s important to recognize that Suárez has struck out noticeably more often on the road than at home. The difference is even more stark this year with the right-handed hitter striking out in 21.5-percent of his plate appearances at Chase Field compared to 29.1-percent at every other MLB venue.

And why the emphasis on strikeouts?

Based on data and statements collected by Mike Petriello of MLB, T-Mobile Park is a strikeout factory. Therefore, I suspect that if he were to become a Mariner this year, it’s likely Suárez strikes out more frequently than he’s been doing with Arizona.

That said, the splits we’ve been discussing aren’t a dealbreaker for me. Why? T-Mobile Park, the most extreme pitcher’s venue in MLB, didn’t deter Suárez’s bat when he was a Mariner.

The ability to be very productive at home was Suárez’s superpower during his two seasons in the Emerald City. Since the team changed the park’s dimensions after the 2012 season, 15 Seattle hitters have at least 500 plate appearances at T-Mobile Park. Only Nelson Cruz (140) has a higher wRC+ than Suárez’s 128.

Super Geno!

Oh, and he posts!

And let’s not overlook Suárez’s strong history of availability. Despite being a thirty-something, he’s averaged 157 contests annually since his first season as a Mariner. This year, the one-time All-Star has appeared in 79 of Arizona’s 81 games.

Granted, an injury can happen to the seemingly most durable player at any time. Late in the 2022 season, Suárez missed 10 games with a fractured finger. But after returning on September 27, he posted a .288 AVG, .321 OBP, and .404 SLG for the remainder of the regular season and then the postseason.

Finally

By every measure, the Mariners’ offense is performing better than it has through the first three months of any recent season. Dating back to the 2021 campaign, the team is scoring more runs, boasts a higher AVG, OBP, SLG, and wRC+, and is striking out less often. But in order to win the AL West division or secure wild card berth, Seattle’s lineup must be better than it is today.

Assuming the Diamondbacks do make Suárez available to the highest bidder next month, it would behoove the Mariners to bring Geno back to the Emerald City for one more postseason push. The pending free agent is a superb run producer at T-Mobile Park, plays every day, and wouldn’t derail Williamson’s long-term development at third base.

If the Mariners don’t lean in this summer to acquire someone of Suárez’s ilk, when will they?

It’s a question some fans are tired of asking.

My Oh My…