How can you capitalize on one of the greatest catching seasons in Major League Baseball history? Put extra assistance around him. With a combined total of 11 home runs from the first basemen (six) and third basemen (five) left on the team, the Mariners had obvious needs at both corner infield positions going into the trade deadline. To address those issues, they signed two of the top sluggers available.
Seattle tapped back into Arizona’s slugging machine this week when they acquired first baseman Josh Naylor. Suárez, who is 34 years old, leads all third basemen with 36 home runs in a career year and sits seventh in MLB, is the best power hitter available.
However, Seattle hopes that the community will be celebrating like it’s 2001 thanks to its efforts over the last week. The Mariners have one of the most complete rosters in MLB owing to their huge deadline trades, but it won’t be easy to halt that run of losing games—they are now five games behind the Astros. That was the last time the Mariners won the division. Their rotation’s potential when healthy is already known to us.
Suárez, Naylor, Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez, and Randy Arozarena should now be ready to spearhead an offensive attack in the American League. This team now appears potential of going far in October, even if they are unable to catch the struggling Astros.
The highest-rated prospect included in the trade was Tyler Locklear, a 2022 second-round selection who was once thought to be Seattle’s first base solution. In a 16-game big-league sample last year, he struggled, striking out 20 times in 49 plate appearances while having some genuine raw power. With 19 home runs at Triple-A, he has immediately returned to his slugging ways. Hunter Cranton, a third-round selection the previous season who has given up only one run in ten minor-league relief innings, and Juan Burgos might both contribute to the Diamondbacks’ bullpen right away.
Suárez was only a rental, but given that he’s probably the greatest slugger to be sold before the deadline, I’m a little disappointed with the return. Kavner
