Eugenio Suarez is on the move at the stroke of midnight on MLB trade deadline day.
The Arizona Diamondbacks slugger Suarez is headed to the Seattle Mariners in a blockbuster trade, Jeff Passan of ESPN reported early Thursday morning. The move ends Suarez’s time in Arizona after just one-and-a-half seasons.
Daniel Kramer of MLB.com adds that the Dbacks are receiving first baseman Tyler Locklear and two pitching prospects from the Mariners in exchange for Suarez.
Suarez, a righty batter, was widely regarded as the top hitter available on the trade market this year. The two-time All-Star had clubbed 36 home runs to go along with an MLB-leading 87 RBIs through 105 games this season for the Dbacks (albeit on an underwhelming .248 batting average). Suarez also memorably had a four-homer game earlier in the year.
With Arizona quickly falling off the map this season at 51-58, it was all but a foregone conclusion that Suarez would be traded ahead of Thursday’s deadline. He did have an ill-timed scare a couple of days ago with a concerning hit-by-pitch (video here) but had since returned to the lineup for the Dbacks.
As for the Mariners, they are going for it this season at 57-52 (currently good for the third and final Wild Card spot in the AL). Suarez had some major MLB teams inquiring about him in recent days, but Seattle ended up winning the sweepstakes for him.
The 34-year-old Suarez, who is capable of playing both third base and shortstop, now heads to a very fitting team. After all, the Mariners just traded for one of Suarez’s former teammates in Arizona a matter of days ago.
