Mariners fans rage as the Eugenio Suárez trade has never looked worse

The 2022 season was a great one for the Seattle Mariners. With the help of their Rookie of the Year Julio Rodríguez, they finally cracked a decades-long postseason drought and even managed to overcome the Toronto Blue Jays in the Wild Card round to move on to the Division Series.

While J-Rod received much of the attention for getting the team there (and rightfully so), it should be noted that the second most valuable member of the team by rWAR was Eugenio Suárez, who posted a 129 OPS+ with 24 doubles and 31 homers.

He arrived in Seattle as the result of a cost-cutting measure by the Cincinnati Reds and seemed like he was going to be an integral part of the Mariner's offense. Sure, he strikes out quite a bit and has led his league in strikeouts three times, but he also has some serious pop and has accumulated 100-plus RBI three separate times.

After his outstanding 2022, Suárez's numbers pulled back in 2023 largely due to a lower slugging figure and the lowest ISO (.159) he had ever posted in a full season. Nonetheless, he made defensive improvements, hit 29 doubles and 22 home runs, and put together 2.4 rWAR.

So what did Seattle do with this good but not great player? They traded him in a cost-cutting move of their own, of course!

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Initially, it seemed like the Mariners had gotten out of a bad contract at the right time. Suárez managed a measly .668 OPS in the first half of 2024 and many of his same struggles with strikeouts seemed as bad as ever. However, he went into second gear after the All-Star break and posted a scorching .942 OPS over his final 65 games of the season.

It was uncertain as to whether this success would continue. But after "Geno" tore up spring training this year, the trade looked worse in hindsight with every passing day.

Now that the regular season has officially started, the entire situation seems to have aged like milk. While the Mariners have struggled to get going offensively, Suárez has been busy posting a 1.555 OPS with four home runs on his way to an NL Player of the Week award. As a fun little side quest, he has also tied a franchise record for the Diamondbacks.

Did the Mariners at least get some good pieces in return? Well, Seby Zavala made just 43 forgettable plate appearances with Seattle in 2024 and then went on to sign a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox. Carlos Vargas made his Mariners debut against the Athletics on March 28th of this year and is looking to be a decent bullpen piece. However, it's safe to say neither has had nearly the same impact for the Mariners that Suárez has had for the Diamondbacks.

Will the front office learn their lesson and make a more concerted effort to retain effective bats when given the choice in the future? Let's be honest, probably not. But hey, at least we can say that one of the hottest bats in baseball right now used to be a Mariner.