The Diamondbacks have a new third baseman.
Arizona acquired Eugenio Suarez in a trade with the Mariners in return for right-handed reliever Carlos Vargas and catcher Seby Zavala for the former All-Star, the teams announced on Wednesday.
The Diamondbacks, who made a surprise run to the 2023 World Series, came into the offseason with a vacancy at the hot corner after 38-year-old Evan Longoria entered free agency.Â
“It adds a little bit of stability at that spot,” Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen said, according to ESPN. “He’s a guy we’ve liked for a long time.”
“It’s something that I see how [the D-backs] play, for me, I’m so excited to be part of that and to join a team that wants to win the World Series,” Suarez told MLB.com.
Suarez, who has spent each of the last two seasons with the Mariners, is coming off a season in which he hit .232/.323/.391 with 22 homers and solid defense at third base, ranking in the 97th percentile in outs above average, per Baseball Savant.
The 32-year-old is entering the final guaranteed year of a seven-year, $66 million deal he signed in 2018.
The contract also includes a $15 million club option for 2025, which has a $2 million buyout, according to MLB.com.
Suarez, a Venezuela native, debuted with the Tigers in 2014 before being dealt to the Reds before the 2015 season.
He enjoyed the best two-year stretch of his career in 2018 and 2019, making the National League All-Star team in the former season and finishing in the top 20 of the NL MVP voting in both years.
The Reds then traded Suarez to the Mariners after the 2021 season, and he crushed 53 long balls over two seasons in Seattle.
Vargas, 24, made five relief appearances for Arizona in 2023, giving up three earned runs over 4 â…” innings.
Zavala, 30, is expected to slot in as Seattle’s backup catcher.
He has a career .622 OPS but is known for solid framing.