Why the Mariners should forget Suárez, focus on trade with Twins

The Seattle Mariners struck with a week to spare before the MLB trade deadline to add to their offense, but they’ve been clear they don’t plan for their acquisition of first baseman Josh Naylor to be their last.

Passan: How Josh Naylor gives the Mariners an edge

Six days later, and with just over 24 hours until Thursday’s 3 p.m. deadline, there have been plenty of reports about the M’s but no more official action.

They’ve been public about wanting to improve their bullpen. And reportedly, they have been in the mix for the top player on the trade market, Arizona All-Star Eugenio Suárez.

But, also reportedly, the asking price is sky high for the slugging third baseman who is set to be a free agent after this season.

Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reported Sunday that the Yankees pivoted to a trade for Colorado third baseman Ryan McMahon after Arizona requested an “MLB player, an upper-level prospect (Double-A or Triple-A), and at least one lower-level prospect, per industry sources,” for Suárez.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, ESPN’s Jeff Passan called the Mariners “the deadline wild card” because of their eight prospects considered in the top 100 in all of baseball, and wondered if Seattle would be comfortable trading Triple-A catcher Harry Ford (the No. 49 overall prospect per MLB Pipeline) for a rental like Suárez.

That sounds like way too high of a price, especially in a world where the M’s just got Naylor, a rental, for a pair of minor league arms not ranked in the top 100. And going back a year, the Mariners got Randy Arozarena, who is under contract through 2026 and is fifth among American League outfielders this year with an .813 OPS, for three prospects, none of which were ranked in the top 100.

It would be a great story for Suárez to come back to Seattle, and reuniting with him would send a clear signal that the Mariners are really going for it this year. But for as good as Suárez has been this year, he’s been streaky throughout his career at the plate. So yeah, he has 36 home runs, 87 RBIs and a .898 OPS this season. But he also had a .192 average, .586 OPS and six homers through his first 77 games with the D-backs last year.

Point being, there’s no guarantee which of those you’re going to get for August and September. And boy would it hurt to give up on the future of a player like Ford only to see the flip side of Suárez’s streakiness down the stretch.

If the Mariners are going to trade from the top end of their well-stocked farm system before the deadline – and with the state of the AL this season, they really should if the right opportunity presents itself – then they should look for players who can help now but still be around beyond this season. And at that, on players who provide help more than Suárez in areas where they’re truly deficient.

Suárez slugs. And so do the Mariners. They’re fifth in MLB in homers (149) and 11th in OPS (.730). Their bullpen, however, is 15th in opponent average (.242) and 18th in WHIP (.242). Most alarming, Seattle has just 26 saves in 45 opportunities. Those 19 blown saves are tied for third-most in MLB, and only five teams have a worse save percentage.

That’s why the Mariners’ focus should be squarely on the Minnesota Twins, who still have a number of strong relief options even after trading closer Jhoan Duran to the Phillies, most of whom have multiple years left on their contracts. Griffin Jax? Yeah, he’d work. Brock Stewart is having a nice year. Heck, get both of them.

At the same time, the Twins have a rental bat of their own who would make a nice fit for the M’s in Willi Castro, a switch-hitting utility man with a .750 OPS in 85 games this year. The nice thing about him is the Mariners could play him wherever they need, which means they could keep giving regular playing time to rookie third baseman Ben Williamson, whose defensive ability basically won them a game on Monday. If Seattle got Suárez, Williamson would likely be limited to a defensive replacement role.

According to Mariners reporter Daniel Kramer of MLB.com on Wednesday, the Mariners have engaged with the Twins in talks about both Castro and relief help. He also reported that Arizona “had been seeking multiple” prospects ranked in the top 100 for Suárez.

If it’s gonna be like that, the direction seems pretty clear. Throw a haul at the Twins and follow the North Star to the postseason.

More on the Seattle Mariners

• Mariners to promote 1B Tyler Locklear, place Luke Raley on IL
• Seattle Mariners Breakdown: Who’s hot in the farm system
• Mariners get ESPN’s best grade for trade deadline moves so far
• Mariners’ addition of Naylor looks great in two surprising ways
• What ESPN’s Passan expects from Seattle Mariners at trade deadline

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