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9 hours ago
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The Seattle Mariners won the trade deadline sweepstakes at the end of July.
Eugenio Suarez was viewed as the top hitter available, and it was the Mariners who pulled off the deal to get him from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
That move came with an expiration date, though. Suarez was in the final year of his contract, and so it was a trade designed for three months worth of baseball contributions, not any longer.
The Mariners' season is over now, ended in Game 7 of the ALCS on Monday night. And so officially five days after the World Series ends, Suarez will be a free agent.
The Mariners will have to decide whether to try and bring him back, and it's not an easy call.
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For one, Suarez is 34 years old, entering that stage of his career where he may be seeking more money than these analytically minded clubs might be inclined to give him.
Suarez was also a much worse hitter after joining the Mariners.
In 106 games with the Diamondbacks, he hit 36 homers and had an .897 OPS.
In 53 games with the Mariners, Suarez had 13 homers and a .682 OPS.
Suarez did deliver that clutch two-homer game in the ALCS, including an epic grand slam. No one questions that he still has pop.
But will he be worth a potential nine-figure contract? It wouldn't seem like it.
The Mariners also have to decide if they want to get Josh Naylor back after his deal expires at the end of this season, too. They might only be able to pay one or the other, and Suarez could be the odd man out.
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