The Arizona Diamondbacks have acquired Eugenio Suarez in a commerce with the Seattle Mariners, filling their emptiness at third base and including much-needed energy to their lineup.
The Mariners obtained right-hander Carlos Vargas and veteran catcher Seby Zavala for Suarez, who has belted at the very least 21 residence runs in every of the previous seven full seasons.
The reigning Nationwide League champion Diamondbacks had been in want of a 3rd baseman when three-time All-Star Evan Longoria grew to become a free agent this month. Longoria, 38, appeared in simply 74 video games throughout the common season however began 16 of 17 video games on the scorching nook throughout Arizona’s postseason run.
“It provides a bit little bit of stability at that spot,” Diamondbacks basic supervisor Mike Hazen stated. “He is a man we have favored for a very long time.”
Suarez, 32, will make simply over $11 million in 2024 — the ultimate assured yr of a seven-year contract that additionally features a $15 million membership choice for 2025. His 7.2 WAR over the previous two seasons is ninth amongst all main league third basemen.
Suarez batted .232 with 22 homers and 96 RBIs but in addition struck out a league-leading 214 instances this previous season, his second with the Mariners. He was an All-Star with the Cincinnati Reds in 2018 and loved his greatest season within the majors the next yr, when he had a career-high 49 homers and 103 RBIs.
However Suarez has struggled to make constant contact over the previous 4 years, beginning with the COVID-shortened 2020 season when he batted simply .202 regardless of hitting 15 homers in 60 video games with Cincinnati.
Suarez, who has batted simply .221 since 2020 and has led the AL in strikeouts in every of the previous two seasons, will be a part of a Diamondbacks lineup that completed tied for tenth within the NL this season with 166 homers.
Arizona ranked twenty sixth in baseball in WAR by third basemen in 2023. Of the 5 gamers who performed that place for Arizona final season, three are already off the roster — Longoria is a free agent, Josh Rojas was traded to Seattle on the commerce deadline, and Buddy Kennedy was misplaced on waivers to the St. Louis Cardinals. Jace Peterson and Emmanuel Rivera stay from the group and determine to fill reserve and/or platoon roles.
Vargas, 24, made 5 aid appearances throughout the common season whereas Zavala, 30, is a .210 profession hitter in elements of 4 seasons with the Diamondbacks and White Sox.
Jerry Dipoto, president of baseball operations for the Mariners, stated the membership envisions Zavala because the backup to Cal Raleigh coming into the season.
Shifting on from Suarez will probably be arduous to promote to a fan base stuffed with skepticism concerning the course of the membership after Seattle missed the playoffs and Dipoto’s misstep with a few of his postseason feedback. From the surface, it seems to be a transfer to clear wage, erases a key chief from Seattle’s clubhouse and leaves a gap at third base.
“Including Seby and Carlos is one other step towards constructing the kind of deep roster that’s required on the main league degree,” Dipoto stated. “Seby is an skilled catcher with glorious defensive abilities who will group with Cal behind the plate. And Carlos is a younger reliever with the kind of ‘massive stuff’ that our workers has finished a beautiful job creating over time.”
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and The Related Press contributed to this report.
