Mariners Rumors: Seattle risks huge mistake in shifting away from Eugenio Suárez

This year's trade deadline is a little lopsided in terms of available talent. On the starting pitching side, you have quite a few options from solid rotation leaders (Merrill Kelly, Mitch Keller) to works in progress (Zac Gallen, Sandy Alcantara). On the position player side, the pickings are a little slimmer but one man has dominated the news cycle over the past few weeks and according to Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN, is this year's most valuable trade target.

By fWAR, Eugenio Suárez (3.0) is the fourth-most valuable third baseman in baseball this year and his 142 wRC+ is the second-highest mark for any third baseman with more than 300 plate appearances. It has been a great statistical year for the former Seattle Mariner, and thus it's no surprise he has plenty of teams asking about him.

Unfortunately, the sheer number of suitors has driven his price up so much, a reunion with Seattle may no longer be possible.

The Mariners may not be able to meet the Diamondbacks' colossal asking price for Suárez

It's not hard to imagine how Suárez would be a perfect fit in Seattle. He was an impactful player for the Mariners in 2022 and 2023, and his current offensive production would be a meaningful improvement over what the team is currently getting out of Ben Williamson.

However, despite the organization's desire to bring Suárez back, it seems like priorities may instead shift to getting more bullpen help as the trade deadline looms. His price tag is likely to blame as even the high-rolling New York Yankees were forced to pivot to a plan B despite having a similar need at the hot corner.

Seattle's front office has almost always favored long-term efficiency over brand name when it comes to roster construction. Thus, they don't typically have the risk appetite to put all of their eggs in a single position player basket, which makes it that much more notable that Suárez just had a close call with a potential season-altering injury.

Thus, their apprehension about doing a deal for Suárez falls in line with their usual way of doing business. Furthermore, Williamson is starting to move in the right direction and more reliever depth leans into the team's greatest strength: pitching.

On the other hand, one would be correct to point out that the positive impact of another bullpen arm pales in comparison to fixing what is arguably the biggest hole in the lineup. While Seattle's bullpen ERA of 3.73 is 7th in MLB, their third base OPS of just .664 places them 22nd. With the Yankees and Boston Red Sox recently pulling ahead in the Wild Card standings, a small move to add depth in an already strong area may not be enough to move the needle.

If the rumors are true and the Diamondbacks really are requesting an unfathomable haul for a rental third baseman, then perhaps the price is too high. However, since Arizona would be foolish to retain him past the deadline, it's difficult to say which side actually has the leverage in this situation. What could happen is that all interested franchises wait until the last minute to put in their final bids, hoping the Diamondbacks will continue to lower their price in a sort of Dutch auction.

Should that be the case, the Mariners need to be one of the final few bidders remaining in the game. A deal may not work out but the roster needs are too great to let this opportunity slip by without a fight. The postseason awaits and with other AL contenders retooling and reloading, Seattle can't afford to show up to the final portion of the season unarmed.