The Arizona Diamondbacks filled a hole at third base on Wednesday afternoon, acquiring slugger Eugenio Suarez from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for two players.
Suarez, 32, is a solid defensive third baseman who has been a fairly reliable source of power for most of the past decade. Last season, he hit .232 with 22 homers and 96 RBI, playing in all 162 games for the Mariners. He also led the league with 214 strikeouts.
The Diamondbacks will assume all of Suarez’s $11 million salary for next year — and also the $15 million club option for 2025 with a $2 million buyout — in exchange for hard-throwing reliever Carlos Vargas and catcher Seby Zavala.
Vargas has a big arm — he sits in the upper-90s with his fastball, often touching 100 mph — but has struggled to put it all together. He made only five appearances in the majors last year, giving up three runs in 4 2/3 innings. He had a 7.02 ERA in Triple-A Reno, where he issued 32 walks with 36 strikeouts in 42 1/3 innings.
Zavala, whom the Diamondbacks claimed off waivers from the Chicago White Sox in September, is a career .210 hitter with a .622 OPS in 514 plate appearances in the big leagues. He is regarded as a strong defender.
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Suarez was rated as one of the better defensive third basemen in baseball last season, compiling 11 outs above average, according to Statcast data. His defense has fluctuated from year to year in his career, usually settling around average.
With right-handed hitting outfielders Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Tommy Pham possibly departing as free agents, Suarez brings another right-handed bat to the lineup.
The Diamondbacks are also said to be getting a player who brings clubhouse leadership and is a beloved teammate.
For the Mariners, the move amounts to a salary dump for a front office that was under pressure to lower its payroll, according to a source.