Mariners pick up an imitation Eugenio Suárez on minor league deal with KBO star

There's pop in the bat, so sure.
Washington Nationals v Chicago Cubs
Washington Nationals v Chicago Cubs | Matt Dirksen/GettyImages

Seattle Mariners fans are still waiting on the big bat that was supposed to accompany Josh Naylor's return in November. But that quest doesn't need to be all-consuming, especially not with finer roster details in need of ironing out before spring training opens next month.

To this end, Patrick Wisdom is going to be in camp with the Mariners on a minor league deal. Aram Leighton of Just Baseball was on the news on Wednesday:

The name should ring a bell, given that Wisdom was a featured member of the Chicago Cubs not too long ago. He mashed a bunch of dingers, but also struck out a lot and didn't offer much in the way of on-base acumen, baserunning ability or defensive quality.

So, yeah. Think "imitation Eugenio Suárez," and you've got the gist.

Mariners pick up an imitation Eugenio Suárez on minor league deal with Patrick Wisdom

In the interest of giving him credit he's very much due, the pop in Wisdom's bat is real. He slammed 76 home runs across 2021, 2022 and 2023. In the last of those seasons, his rate of barrels per batted ball event was second only to Aaron Judge.

The Mariners are picking up Wisdom while he's fresh off a career revival overseas. After a rough year with the Cubs in 2024, he went to Korea and had a big season for the Kia Tigers of the KBO. In 119 games, Wisdom cracked 35 home runs and racked up 85 runs batted in.

The problem? Strikeouts remained a problem for Wisdom even in Korea, where he fanned 29.2 percent of the time. It's not on par with his 36.7 K% in seven major league seasons, but the KBO offers less of a strikeout-heavy environment than MLB.

Even so, the risk of bringing aboard Wisdom on a MiLB deal is basically nonexistent for the Mariners. He should get plenty of at-bats during spring training while the stars of the team go off to play in the World Baseball Classic. In a best-case scenario, he'll play his way onto the roster as a depth option for third base, first base and DH.

This alone is how you know the Mariners have come along way from this time last year. They don't need to see Wisdom as a hopeful for a starting spot, a la Rowdy Tellez. They merely need to see what he has to give, and they can easily move on if the answer proves to be nothing.

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