Mariners should bypass Tarik Skubal trade for a blockbuster reunion with lost star

Reunions with players who previously starred for a team can be a tricky situation often fraught with risk. This is something which the Seattle Mariners can attest to with a couple of recent examples, in Eugenio Suárez and Mitch Haniger.

Suárez's return this past season was one filled with anticipation, due to the combination of reuniting with a popular player and serving as proof that ownership was fully invested in improving the roster. Unfortunately for the Mariners, he struggled during his second tour of duty in Seattle, highlighted by a .189 batting average and .682 OPS which would have projected to the worst and second-worst of his Major League career over a full campaign.

In fairness, Suárez had at least been enjoying a tremendous season prior to his trade from Arizona, whereas Haniger's return ahead of the 2024 season followed a terrible campaign in San Francisco. In truth, the trade with the Giants was more about getting rid of Robbie Ray's salary, but still, Haniger went on to set career-lows with a .208 batting average, .334 slugging percentage and .620 OPS.

Interestingly, Haniger does have a connection to another reunion we'd like to see the Mariners seriously consider. Despite all of the recent speculation connecting the M's to Tarik Skubal, there's an alternative potential blockbuster trade they should pursue, which would bring back a lost star.

A reunion with Ketel Marte should be on the table for the Mariners

As per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the likelihood is that Skubal (and Paul Skenes) are unlikely to be dealt this winter, but what about Ketel Marte, who was an international free agent signing by the Mariners back in 2010? He had a promising rookie year in 2015 with the M's, but they subsequently traded him to the Arizona Dimamondbacks following the 2016 season as part of a multi-player deal which included Haniger's first move to Seattle.

Marte has since gone on to enjoy a successful career in Arizona, but Nightengale reports that the Diamondbacks are now motivated to move him. If he isn't traded by mid-April next year, he will have 10-and-5 rights and a full no-trade provision.

This is a player who seems to be improving with age, having averaged a 141 OPS+, 30 home runs and a 5.3 rWAR over the past three seasons, been named an All-Star and Silver Slugger in each of the past two years and finished third in AL MVP voting in 2024. So why would the Diamondbacks be looking to move someone who, at $91 million over the next five years, is also a financial bargain given his productivity?

Mariners should take advantage of unrest in the desert

Well, as SoDo Mojo's Zachary Rymer previously covered back in August, Marte seems to be alienating his teammates in the desert, with them becoming frustrated by his tendency to ask for and take days off. He did subsequently apologize, but this is an issue which dates back to last season and perhaps now sets the stage for the Mariners to pounce.

There's also a genuine chance the 32-year-old is ready to move on anyway, hastened by having his Arizona residence burgled during this past season's All-Star break. And as much as there may be concerns about how he would fit into the Mariners clubhouse, they at least have experience of dealing with him, combined with having influential leaders who you'd like to think he'll respect, including Cal Raleigh and J.P. Crawford.

Nightengale does add that the Diamondbacks will ask for a lot in return, but the Mariners have the assets to make a deal happen. It also helps that the two organizations are frequent trade partners who line up well, having most recently dealt with each other last year in the two deadline deals which saw Suárez and Josh Naylor end up in Seattle.

The thought of Marte as a third star to go with Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez must surely have Mariners fans salivating. And even allowing for any concerns about his potential attitude, would you really say no to, for example, bringing him onboard in exchange for Cole Young, Jonny Farmelo and Ryan Sloan? (Yep, we didn't think so.)