Justin Hollander didn’t exactly whisper it. When the Seattle Mariners GM goes on MLB Network Radio and says there’s “certainly a chance” Eugenio Suárez comes back, it’s not random fluff — that’s a front office leaving the porch light on for a very specific kind of move.
And yeah… it kind of makes more sense now than it did a few weeks ago, when the offseason still felt like it had “big swing” oxygen left in it. That oxygen is getting thin now that Jorge Polanco is gone (to the Mets), Brandon Lowe isn’t walking through that door (he got dealt to Pittsburgh), and Munetaka Murakami isn’t either (he signed with the White Sox). The Mariners still need another impact bat, and the list of realistic options is shrinking by the day.
Mariners may bring back Eugenio Suárez, but the roster fit is the real debate
So the “Geno again?” conversation is back, and it’s messy in the most Seattle way possible.
All of Hollander’s praises are correct. Suárez adds power, big moment validation and clubhouse influence. Hollander directly named the 49 home runs, and daily presence which is “not easy to replace” as well as what he has provided since Seattle reacquired him back at the trade deadline last July.
“What he brings to a clubhouse every day is hard to replicate.”
Could a reunion with the #Mariners be in the future for free agent, Eugenio Suárez? 👀
🔗 https://t.co/iXax8hx4iO pic.twitter.com/MTCzFCRsQp
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) December 21, 2025
However, the red flags are legitimate and dismissing them could directly be the cause of frustration by May. He is a mid-30s slugger with inherent swing and miss built into his profile; and there’s a reason even “fan favorite” comes with a little asterisk in 2026.
Here’s the bigger complication: roster fit. The Mariners have been pretty clear they want to give Ben Williamson and Colt Emerson real runway at third base rather than blocking them with a pricey veteran. If Suárez returns, it probably can’t be as an everyday third baseman written in Sharpie. It has to look more like a DH-heavy role with some third sprinkled in — which raises the obvious question: would Geno sign up for that?
That’s why this reunion is only fun if it’s the right kind of reunion. If Suárez comes back on a sensible deal and the Mariners still have a path to chase a true all-around bat (like Brendan Donovan or Ketel Marte) via trade, great — do it.
But if the Mariners bring back Geno and call it the big bat solution? That’s when the good vibes turn into restless vibes. Because Seattle doesn’t need a nostalgia hit. It needs a lineup that scares someone in October.