Arizona Diamondbacks Elect to Bring Back Former Popular Seattle Mariners Infielder
The Arizona Diamondbacks elected to bring back former Seatle Mariners third baseman Eugenio Suarez on Friday, picking up his team option.
Per Jesse Rogers of ESPN on social media:
Diamondbacks INF Eugenio Suarez is having his option picked up for 2025, per a source. It’s for $15 million.
Diamondbacks INF Eugenio Suarez is having his option picked up for 2025, per a source. It’s for $15 million.
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) November 2, 2024
The decision was easy on the surface because Suarez had a great overall year for Arizona. Though the Diamondbacks missed the playoffs, Suarez hit .256 with 30 homers and 101 RBI. He also played in 158 games, proving again how durable he is. He's played essentially a full season every season since 2016.
Though the question was easy on the surface, it wasn't easy under the hood. A very streaky player, Suarez hit just .172 in the month of May and .156 in the month of June. He was hitting just .216 at the All-Star break.
Though it appears the Diamondbacks plan to use him in 2025, there is still a chance that he could be dealt away this offseason.
The Mariners traded him to Arizona last offseason in that salary-dump move that netted them backup catcher Seby Zavala and a promising relief prospect. The M's had acquired Suarez before the 2022 season and he became an instant-fan favorite for his good attitude and ability to hit home runs.
Suarez had 31 homers and 87 RBI for the M's in 2022 as they broke the drought and advanced to the playoffs. He added 22 homers and 96 RBI for the 2023 team that missed the playoffs by just one game. Trading him was billed by the front office as a way to cut down on strikeouts (he led the American League in strikeouts each of those years), but it was clearly just a way to cut his $11 million salary last offseason, another in a string of frustrating penny-pinching moves.
Suarez is a one-time All-Star who has played 11 years with the Cincinnati Reds, Mariners, Diamondbacks and Detroit Tigers.
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