3 mock trade packages to reunite Eugenio Suárez with Mariners in 2025

There is barely a month standing between the Seattle Mariners and the July 31 trade deadline, and the buzz coming from the highest level of the front office suggests fans may be in for a treat.

To this end, we all know what we want, right? It simply has to be a reunion with Eugenio Suárez, right?

Nobody wanted Suárez to leave when Jerry Dipoto salary-dumped him on the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023, which remains a black mark on the president of baseball operations' decade-long record in charge of the Mariners' front office. Yet the notion of Suárez making a Pacific Northwest comeback in 2025 has been out there for a while now, and it continues to build steam.

We've been on it, and now ESPN MLB insiders Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan are floating the concept as well. They have the Mariners listed as a potential landing spot for the 33-year-old third baseman, who is having a terrific season with a .892 OPS, 25 home runs, and a National League-leading 67 RBI through 78 games.

The Mariners, meanwhile, have gotten a .687 OPS and five homers from third base all season. Gifted defender though he may be, Ben Williamson just isn't much of a hitter.

3 mock trade packages that could reunite the Mariners and Eugenio Suárez

If Suárez is going to find his way back to Seattle, the first thing that must happen is the Diamondbacks choosing to sell. Their 41-39 record wouldn't point them in that direction under ordinary circumstances, but they're in fourth place in the NL West and their roster has been shredded by season-ending elbow injuries for Corbin Burnes and Justin Martinez.

As he's in the last year of an eight-year, $79 million contract, Suárez is one of several pending free agents (including another target for Seattle in first baseman Josh Naylor) that Arizona could offload as rentals ahead of the trade deadline.

Yet with the franchise in the middle of a contention window that only just opened in 2023, it seems doubtful that D-backs general manager Mike Hazen will go all-in on the long game even if he does choose to sell. He'll surely be looking to return to winning in 2026, in which case he'll need to pursue trade returns that could help that cause.

With this in mind, let's devise three mock trades that could get Suárez back to Seattle. These all check out as fair deals for Baseball Trade Values, which has the veteran's surplus value estimated at $5.6 million.

Mock Trade No. 1: Mariners get 3B Eugenio Suárez, $5 million cash, Diamondbacks get RHP Logan Evans

Pitching has been a huge problem for the D-backs, with only five teams having gone higher than their 4.73 ERA. And with Burnes recovering from Tommy John surgery and Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly slated for free agency, the immediate future of the rotation is suspect.

This is why Evans could interest Arizona. He's already established a foothold in the majors through seven mostly strong starts in the Mariners, and could thus step right into the D-backs' rotation following a trade. He would bring mid-rotation upside as a guy who doesn't throw hard, but who can locate a variety of pitches.

For the Mariners, the $5 million in this deal would balance the surplus value gap between Suárez and Evans, who is 24 and still has rookie eligibility. And as tough as it would be to part with Evans, he also has multiple barriers standing between him and a regular slot in Seattle's rotation.

Mock Trade No. 2: Mariners get 3B Eugenio Suárez, Diamondbacks get RHPs Emerson Hancock, Jeter Martinez

One of the aforementioned barriers is Hancock, who has brushed off a disappointing start to his major league career to become a mostly reliable starter in 2025.

He's had two bombs since returning from the minors on April 17, but has otherwise basically been a quality start machine in his other 10 outings. A 1.4 mph increase in his average fastball has certainly helped, and hasn't really hindered his ability to throw strikes.

As Hancock nonetheless has a 5.43 ERA for 2025 and a 5.05 ERA for his career, this deal would amount to the M's selling high at a moment when his value is suddenly greater than zero. The D-backs could insert him right into their rotation and keep him there through 2030, and otherwise look to continue Martinez's development.

Ranked by MLB Pipeline as Seattle's No. 16 prospect, the 6-foot-4, 180-pound righty has the stuff and physicality that M's hurlers have become known for. He does have a 8.47 ERA for Single-A Modesto, but he's young for the level at 19 years old.

Mock Trade No. 3: Mariners get 3B Eugenio Suárez, Diamondbacks get 1B Tyler Locklear, LHP Brandyn Garcia

If the Mariners would rather get Suárez back without sacrificing any players they're going to need now or in the near future, then this deal would suffice.

Though Locklear and Garcia rank as the club's No. 11 and No. 15 prospects, both only seem to be on the periphery of the big club's plans. Yet both have upside that could intrigue the Snakes, especially given that neither is looking at a long promotion timeline.

Locklear, 24, has already played in the majors and is currently red-hot at Triple-A Tacoma after making a crucial adjustment. With Arizona, he could become the heir apparent at first base for Naylor, who is yet another pending free agent.

For his part, the 25-year-old Garcia is fanning just south of 12 batters per nine innings as a reliever for Tacoma. But as noted by MLB Pipeline, the 6-foot-4, 235-pounder may yet have a future as a starter because of his size and pure stuff.