Of the Mariners’ three undrafted free agents, Josh Naylor he returned to the team on a five-year, $92.5MM contract, too Jorge Polanco headed to the Mets on a two-year, $40MM deal. This is going Eugenio Suarez on the open market, and in an interview with MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said “there’s definitely a chance” Suarez could join Naylor at some point in the Pacific Northwest.
“We love Geno. Geno brings a ton not only on the field, things people see…but off the field,” Hollander said.His strong presence, good build, [and] what he brings to the clubhouse every day, it’s really hard to replicate. Therefore we have maintained contact with Geno representatives throughout the winter.”
Re-signing Naylor was known to be a priority for Seattle as the season began, with reports indicating that Polanco and Suarez (in that order) were considered next on the checklist. The fact that Naylor signed in mid-November allows the M’s more flexibility in reaching the rest of the market, and talks with Polanco reportedly saw the Mariners make a two-year offer at least in the Mets’ $40MM range.
It is not known if the Mariners made any kind of concrete offer to Suarez to maybe see which one of Suarez or Polanco accepted first, or if M stopped diving into the negotiations with Suarez until Polanco’s fate is decided. Even with Polanco now off the market, Seattle has been linked to prominent trade targets such as Brendan Donovan again Ketel Marteso it may be that any serious talks with Suarez are put on hold until one or both of these infielders are dealt with, or if talks with the Cardinals or Diamondbacks fall apart.
If Suarez returned to the Mariners, he would likely be used more as a DH than a regular third baseman. Depending on your chosen defensive metric, Suarez has been a below-average third baseman for several years now, and both Defensive Runs Saved (-6) and Outs Above Average (-3) have not impressed with his glove work in 2025. IM’s has a good enough base for a team that could be a second baseman who could be a great third baseman and a third baseman that could be a very good second baseman that could be a second baseman. is only the third free agent on Seattle’s radar because of his past history with the franchise.
The Cubs and Red Sox have also been linked to the Suarez market this winter, but it is unknown whether any of these teams or any other suitors have put a contract on the table for the 34-year-old player. It’s been a cool market for a player coming off a 49-man season, yet Suarez’s age, high strike rate, and subpar defense are red flags for any team considering a long-term commitment. It also didn’t help that Suarez’s production dropped significantly after being traded from the Diamondbacks to the Mariners at the trade deadline.
MLB Trade Rumors still ranked Suarez 20th on our list of the top 50 free agents of the winter, and projected him to receive a three-year, $63MM deal. That deal still seems possible with plenty of time left in the offseason, and the market undoubtedly has plenty of turnover as free agents come off the board and other players switch teams on the trade market. While a hometown discount may or may not happen, it’s safe to speculate that Suarez may favor the Mariners over other teams, given his familiarity with the clubhouse and the likelihood that Seattle will be contenders again for the 2026 season and beyond.
