The Pirates are once again threatening to crash a Mariners reunion party

If you’re a Seattle Mariners fan who’s been clinging to the idea of an Eugenio Suárez reunion as the most emotionally correct move of the winter, we may have some bad news. The Pittsburgh Pirates are sniffing around again.

And not in a cute little small-market cameo way. In a “we keep showing up in your offseason mentions like an ex who won’t stop liking your posts” way.

While Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reported Seattle’s winter basically boiled down to “they’re not done yet” — with Jerry Dipoto and Justin Hollander still “highly motivated” to improve the roster — it also underlined how unfinished this whole thing feels after the Jorge Polanco reunion fizzled. 

So naturally, the fanbase starts scanning the market for the easiest dopamine hit available: Geno.

Pirates are trying to spoil the Mariners’ Eugenio Suárez reunion again

Divish’s analysis makes it pretty clear the Mariners aren’t treating this as a “welp, we tried” offseason. They’ve made the pragmatic depth moves, sure — Ferrer, Knizner, Refsnyder — but the big takeaway is that the front office is still hunting for a real lineup upgrade. 

The only catch with Suárez is the money and the years. He’s still viewed as a multi-year guy on the market… until the market starts acting like it isn’t.

According to Jason Mackey of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates are interested in Suárez. And yes, it’s being framed as a legitimate pivot after missing on other targets. 

What makes this annoying (from a Seattle perspective) is that Pittsburgh has already shown they’re willing to get uncomfortable with spending this winter.

Jeff Passan reported the Pirates were primed to go way past their historical comfort zone on Josh Naylor before Seattle locked him up. And Pirates coverage has tied them to the same “we need a bat” energy all offseason, including trading for Brandon Lowe and signing Ryan O’Hearn. 

So if the Pirates decide Suárez is their big bat, the fear isn’t that Seattle “loses” him. It’s that they could force the price into a place the Mariners don’t want to go.

Here’s the line in the sand: Geno makes a ton of sense for Seattle… on Seattle terms. If the market softens and you can get him on a shorter deal that doesn’t block the next wave of infield talent? Great. Do it. But if the Pirates come in swinging with a multi-year number that’s basically paying for the 49-homer version of Geno forever? Let them. Because that’s exactly how you end up regretting it by Year 2.

Either way, Seattle needs to pick a lane soon. Divish’s reporting makes it clear the Mariners want another meaningful move. If Suárez is one of the best fits left for that, you can’t just assume the Pirates will stop popping up in your business.