Big-market interest in Eugenio Suárez could save the Mariners from themselves

Every offseason, there’s at least one move that feels tailor-made for the Seattle Mariners to talk themselves into. This winter, Eugenio Suárez is already warming up in the on-deck circle.

According to baseball journalist Francys Romero, the Cubs are poking around the third-base market, and Suárez is one of the names “to watch in the coming days.” Translation: a big-market team with real money might be ready to do the emotional reunion thing for Seattle.

That’s not a problem. That’s a gift.

The Cubs chasing Eugenio Suárez is secretly great for the Mariners

Look, Geno was a blast here. The vibes, the dugout energy, the “good vibes only” era — all of that was real, and none of it should be minimized. But the version of Suárez the Mariners just watched in 2025 is not the guy you let dictate your offseason plans. The fastball issues were loud and impossible to ignore: a .226 batting average against four-seamers is the kind of number that makes elite velocity in October look like a nightmare matchup, not a challenge.

And yet, the reporting around the Mariners has been that they’re keeping the door cracked for a possible reunion. That’s how temptation starts. You convince yourself you can fix the swing, that the whiffs are just a tweak away, that the glove at third can carry the bat a little longer. Before you know it, you’ve talked yourself right back into the exact version of the lineup that came up just a bit short.

We’ve mentioned our stance before: if Suárez is coming back to Seattle, it should only be on a very specific set of terms: a one-year, low-risk pact, a modest salary, and a clearly defined role as a right-handed power bat who can be protected with platoons. Zero illusions about him being a 155-game answer at third base. Guardrails, not nostalgia, have to drive that decision.

But here’s the thing: the Cubs don’t have to operate like that. They can pay more for the bounce-back bet. They can absorb being wrong. The Mariners can’t.

So if Chicago (or any other big-market team) decides to push in harder on Geno, Seattle shouldn’t try to outbid them. They should treat it as a blessing in disguise. Let someone else pay for the memories. The Mariners’ job this winter is to build an offense that actually scares people, not replay the greatest hits and hope for a different ending.