The Seattle Mariners made the first big move ahead of the MLB trade deadline, acquiring first baseman Josh Naylor. Following that deal, the Mariners front office is reportedly still hoping to acquire one of two hitters on its radar.
Seattle Sports 770 AM’s Shannin Drayer reported that even after acquiring Naylor, the Mariners are “very much still open” to acquiring Diamondbacks’ third baseman Eugenio Suarez. He’s not the only corner infielder Seattle is eyeing.
Related: MLB Trade Deadline Predictions, including Mariners’ deal
Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reported that the Mariners and New York Yankees are among the clubs interested in acquiring Colorado Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon.
Unlike Suárez, McMahon is under contract for multiple seasons. The 30-year-old third baseman has a $12 million salary this season and is then owed $32 million in total over the final two years of his deal, ending after his age-32 season.
- Ryan McMahon stats (ESPN): .217/.314/.403, .717 OPS, 16 home runs, 35 RBI
Suárez and McMahon offer very different profiles from one another. Suárez is the superior hitter, demonstrated by his 97th percentile Batting Run Value this season. However, he is significantly worse defensively, and that is a concern for the Yankees.
McMahon’s bat would likely put him in the bottom half of the order in the Mariners’ lineup. However, he’s superior defensively over Suárez (80th percentile Fielding Run Value), and he’s still a better hitter than Seattle’s third baseman Ben Williamson (.608 OPS).
No deals are imminent, but the fact that Seattle just made a trade with Arizona to acquire Naylor could make it a bit easier to negotiate a trade for Suárez. At the very least, it’s clear the Mariners’ front office will keep trying to add talent ahead of the MLB trade deadline.
