Why Eugenio Suárez may still be a Seattle Mariners option

The Seattle Mariners have been busy this offseason, but they clearly aren’t done putting together their roster for 2026 – particularly when it comes to their lineup.

Morosi: Refnsyder deal signals Mariners have another move coming

The possibility remains for the M’s to trade for an All-Star second baseman like Brendan Donovan or Ketel Marte. But there’s also the potential for the M’s to make it 2 for 2 in reuniting with their big trade deadline additions from last season.

Mariners general manager Justin Hollander, who re-signed one-time All-Star first baseman Josh Naylor last month, addressed where the team stands with free agent and two-time All-Star third baseman Eugenio Suárez when he joined MLB Network Radio’s Front Office show on Sunday.

“Certainly a chance,” Hollander said about a potential reunion with Suárez, who is commonly referred to as his nickname Geno. “We’ve maintained contact with Geno’s reps. We love Geno. Geno brings a ton not just on the field, the things that people see with the 49 homers, the big moments, but off the field, his steady presence, great makeup, what he brings to a clubhouse every day, it’s really hard to replicate. So we’ve maintained contact with Geno’s reps all winter long.”

The 34-year-old Suárez tied his career-high of 49 home runs in 2025 while splitting time between Arizona and Seattle, but he struggled at the plate after his midseason trade back to the Mariners, who he had previously played for in 2022 and 2023. Suárez made the trade worth it in the postseason, though, delivering a go-ahead grand slam in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series that helped bring Seattle closer to the World Series than ever before.

MLB Network insider Jon Morosi shared his thoughts on the Mariners and Suárez on Monday during his weekly conversation with Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob, and he believes there is a scenario or two that could end with Suárez returning to Seattle.

“I do think that Suárez is still someone that they have interest in,” Morosi said. “… My strong suspicion here is that their interest in Geno is and has been on a very limited, one year, maybe one year plus an option basis. And I think that they’re certainly willing to bring him back, but it has to be at a term and a dollar amount that makes sense. And honestly, they might be in a position to spend a little extra money for Geno, but they’re probably not necessarily excited about going beyond one year to do it.”

Determining where Suárez could go

There are a few factors that could determine if Suárez’s landing spot this offseason will be back in the Emerald City. First, there’s one free agent third baseman considered more valuable than him: three-time All-Star Alex Bregman, who had 18 homers and an .821 OPS in 114 games for the Boston Red Sox in 2025.

“I think right now Suárez is waiting on the Bregman news,” Morosi said. “I think that maybe Suárez is hoping that if Bregman goes somewhere that’s not Boston, that he could then be a secondary option for the Red Sox. But if Bregman goes back to Boston, I think it would honestly be a little bit fitting and not terribly surprising if everyone just goes back to where they were, meaning Bregman goes back to Boston and then Eugenio Suárez goes back to Seattle, because there has been no move the Mariners have made to this point that has precluded them from bringing Geno back.”

On the Mariners’ end, they may not need Suárez if they can swing a trade with the Cardinals for Donovan or the Diamondbacks for Marte. They also could decide they’re fine with Ben Williamson, who is a stellar defensive third baseman but not much of a threat at the plate, as their primary third baseman like he was for a few months last year before the M’s traded Arizona for Suárez.

“They have to at some extent try to look at the big picture here and say, well, we don’t want to crowd out Williamson and we want to give ourselves a little more flexibility of finding ways to get (Cole) Young and potentially (Colt) Emerson in the lineup in 2026,” Morosi said of the Mariners. “… I am a believer in Williamson. I think he’s going to be a good player for them. I just don’t know if he’s quite ready to carry that level of load right now, and I think that’s why they would be wise to add one more legitimate bat from the outside.”

There’s reason to think Suárez would fit that bill.

“Who better than someone in Geno who authored one of the all-time great Mariner postseason moments and someone who they know fits so well with their clubhouse?” Morosi continued. “I just thought it was interesting that when the Mariners acquired Geno back in July, that (Mariners president of baseball operations) Jerry Dipoto basically said this is a move in a player that as soon as we traded him before (to Arizona after the 2023 season), we wanted to get him back. We felt like it was almost a mistake to give him up at the time. OK, so, let’s not make the same mistake twice. Let’s find a way to keep him there.”

Hear the full Wyman and Bob conversation with MLB Network insider Jon Morosi in the podcast at this link, the audio player below or the video at the top of this post. Catch Wyman and Bob weekdays from 2-7 p.m. on Seattle Sports.

Why Eugenio Suárez may still be a Seattle Mariners option

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