4 Mock Trades for the Most-Wanted Bat in Baseball: Eugenio Suarez

Most of the time when a player gets hit in the hand, the only people who are truly devastated are the fans of his current team. When that player is the most coveted bat at the trade deadline, you get the collective angst of 12 fan bases when Eugenio Suarez gets hit in the hand.

The first collective holding of breath came when Suarez was hit in the hand during the All-Star Game, but he would not miss a game. Last night, Suarez was drilled in the hand again, and he underwent imaging that will likely be shared across the league in a matter of days, if not hours.

The good news is that early X-ray results were negative. So the hope is that Suarez will just be out day-to-day, as the D-backs will likely take their top trade chip out of competition until after the deadline regardless of if he is ready to go sooner.

Still, there is more testing to be done upon the writing of this article, so the world of fantasy we are about to live in could come crashing down if reports come out later today that Suarez’s hand injury is more significant than we think.

If we were to make mock trades for every team that is interested in Suarez, we would have to write a novel. Suarez fits pretty much every contender at the deadline, because every team wants to add a bat with 36 home runs and 87 RBIs (before August!) in their lineup down the stretch.

For today’s trade predictions exercise, we are looking at four of the top contenders for Suarez’s services and putting together trade packages for what they could offer to land the best rental on the market.

Seattle Mariners Reunite With Suarez

The Seattle Mariners made it very clear when they traded for Josh Naylor last week that they were not done adding, and they would like to shop from the Arizona Diamondbacks lineup again.

Seattle wants Suarez, as they look to bolster their lineup around MVP candidate Cal Raleigh to make a run at winning a wide-open AL West. Suarez spent two seasons in Seattle back in 2022 and 2023, where his numbers did take a hit playing in T-Mobile Park, but the production was still there.

Many of us remembered Suarez having had struggled in Seattle, because he numbers were not nearly as gaudy as the production we have seen since the second half of last year, or from some of his best years in Cincinnati.

But when you actually look back at it, Suarez hit 31 home runs in 2022, and posted a well-above average 132 wRC+ in his first year as a Mariner. While his wRC+ fell off to 105 in 2023, Suarez still hit 22 home runs and drove in 96, while playing good defense at third.

After that season, where he put up a 3.5 fWAR, Suarez was traded to the D-backs, with the Mariners essentially dumping his salary in a trade for reliever Carlos Vargas and catcher Seby Zavala.

Zavala played just 18 games for the Mariners in 2024, posting a .496 OPS. Vargas has at least become a part of the Mariners bullpen this season, as he is pitching to a 3.88 ERA across 48 2/3 innings pitched in 2025.

While Vargas has been solid, he is nowhere near worth what it is going to take for the Mariners to re-acquire a third baseman they originally had under contract just 20 months ago.

Mariners Package: RHP Logan Evans (MLB), SS Michael Arroyo (Double-A)

If the Seattle Mariners decide that a reunion with Eugenio Suarez is truly the best move for their organization, they’d have plenty to offer the Diamondbacks in trade.

The first player heading back to the Diamondbacks would be right-hander Logan Evans, a very intriguing young arm for the D-Backs to take a shot with.

Evans has spent a sizable amount of time in the big leagues this season, throwing 59.1 good innings for the Mariners. He’s recorded an ERA of just 3.64 in addition to 43 strikeouts, which has led to him being a solid innings-eater for the team.

There are some concerns around his strikeout-to-walk rates, in addition to the fact that he’s currently outperforming his expected numbers by a decent amount. However, with the Mariners having a surplus of arms and Evans still being fairly interesting, this could make a ton of sense.

The real headliner of this deal, though, would be 20-year-old top prospect Michael Arroyo.

Arroyo has spent this season between High-A and Double-A, where he’s been very impressive. Across these two levels, Arroyo has slashed .274/.419/.502 with 17 homers and a 154 wRC+. He’s also flown up prospect rankings in the process, becoming a coveted asset.

Arroyo could become a very solid big leaguer in a few seasons. Arroyo having this good of production is pretty impressive given his age as well. Overall, this package would be a true win-win for both sides.

Houston Astros Replace Parades and Look to Win the AL West

The Houston Astros are currently holding onto a three-game lead in the AL West, but they have both the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers nipping at their heels as other contenders who are vying to win this division. If the Astros are going to hold on, they have to be aggressive.

No move would be more aggressive than trading a package of prospects for a rental slugger in Suarez.

Just 10 days ago, the Astros would have had no need for Suarez at third base, as Issac Parades was putting together a great first season in Houston. Parades was loving those Crawford Boxes, hitting 19 home runs with a .829 OPS through his first 94 games played.

Unfortunately, Parades went down with a hamstring injury and could be out for most of the remainder of the season. Suarez would plug that gap immediately, and give the Astros a huge boost in the middle of their lineup.

Astros Package: RHP Miguel Ullola (Triple-A), RHP Anderson Britto (High-A), RHP Luis Contreras (MLB), and RHP Bryce Mayer (Double-A)

The Arizona Diamondbacks want to add pitching at this deadline, and the Astros deal would certainly give them a lot of pitching. This package gives the Astros at each level, starting with an MLB reliever in Luis Contreras. The 29-year-old has a 3.34 ERA in Triple-A this year.

Miguel Ullola is probably the prize of this deal. The 23-year-old right-hander has a 3.56 ERA with 96 strikeouts in 73 1/3 innings pitched across his first 18 starts, all in Triple-A. Bryce Mayer is another intriguing arm, who has pitched to a 3.38 ERA with 97 Ks in 77 1/3 innings pitched.

Mayer started this season in Low-A and has made his way up to Double-A in his first full professional season. Finally, the Astros can include a High-A arm in Anderson Brito. The 21-year-old has pitched to a 3.28 ERA across 12 starts, with 65 strikeouts in 49 1/3 innings pitched in High-A.

This is a quantity-over-quality package compared to others, but one that gives the D-backs three shots at landing a viable starting pitcher, and they also get an arm that can slot into their bullpen tomorrow.

Phillis Get a Big Upgrade Over Alec Bohm

The Phillies are clearly in a win-now mode, with a veteran clubhouse of players (some of which are on expiring deals), this is the time to push the chips in, not hold them back for another year.

Imagine a 1-4 of Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, Eugenio Suarez and Kyle Schwarber?

That alone is enough justification to pursue Suarez, regardless of who the Phillies have manning the hot corner. For the past few years, that has largely been Alec Bohm. This season, Bohm has played exactly a league average starting third baseman, with a 99 wRC+ and 0 OAA at the hot corner.

Suarez is a big upgrade over Bohm offensively as is, but the extra motivation for the Phillies to make a move is the fact that Bohm is currently dealing with a rib injury, which could keep him out for another few weeks at least.

Phillies Package: RHP Mick Abel (Triple-A) and 3B Aroon Esobar (High-A)

The Phillies are in dire need of a significant offensive upgrade, and with Suarez being the perfect piece for this, we could see them pay a hefty price to bring him in.

The first of these prospects is Mick Abel.

Abel has bounced between Triple-A and the Major League club, where he’s shown promise in both places. Abel had one of the more electric pitching debuts this season, as he outdueled Paul Skenes for the win. Also, he’s registered an ERA just above 1.80 this season at Triple-A.

Abel could immediately earn his promotion back to the big leagues, where he could get a more extended look in the D-Backs’ rotation than he’s gotten with the Phillies. If not, he’ll go to Triple-A for a little longer, looking to earn this promotion once more.

The second prospect that would head back to the D-Backs in this deal could be second baseman Aroon Escobar.

Escobar has quickly become one of the more interesting prospects in the Phillies’ system, as he dominated earlier this season in Low-A. He posted a 131 wRC+ alongside 11 bombs in Low-A, leading him to a promotion to High-A shortly after.

While he’s not gotten off to the best start since being promoted, the sky could still be the limit for Escobar. At just 20 years old, there’s plenty of room for development.

Cubs Look to Maximize Their Kyle Tucker Window

The Chicago Cubs already proved to be in the market for rentals when they traded top prospect Cam Smith and third baseman Isaac Parades in a deal with the Houston Astros for Kyle Tucker.

Tucker is going to be the top free agent on the market this winter, set to cash in on a monster deal that is likely to exceed $400 million. The Cubs very well could be the team that signs him long-term, but the competition for his services will be thick.

With a team that clearly has World Series aspirations, and one of the deeper farm systems in the game, the Cubs are a clear candidate to trade for Geno.

Matt Shaw is currently holding down the hot corner for the Cubs, and he has been red-hot coming out of the break. With that said, the 23-year-old has posted a .645 OPS across his first 73 career games. Long-term, Shaw may still be the answer at third. But for this season, the Cubs could absolutely look for an upgrade and push Shaw into more of a bench role.

Cubs Package: for RHP Jaxon Wiggins (Double-A), 1B Jonathan Long (Triple-A), and RHP Brody McCullough (Double-A)

One of the best arms the D-backs could land in a Suarez trade, Jaxon Wiggins, was ranked as the No. 6 prospect in the Cubs system on our last farm system update. Wiggins has only improved his stock since then, pitching to a 2.02 ERA this season split between High-A and Double-A.

The 23-year-old has 79 strikeouts in 62 1/3 innings pitched and is holding opposing hitters to a .151 batting average against this year. Along with Wiggins, Arizona will get another arm from Double-A in Brody McCullough, a 25-year-old right-hander who has pitched to a 1.84 ERA across 14 2/3 innings pitched.

Finally, the D-backs land a bat in this trade, 23-year-old first baseman Jonathan Long. Across 95 games played in Triple-A, Long is hitting .314/.402/.501, with 15 home runs and 66 RBIs.

The Cubs certainly don’t need to add Suarez with all the thump they have in their lineup, but this package illustrates how the Cubs could swing a big deal for a rental without even feeling it. If they are willing to deal Wiggins, there is every world where the Cubs land a top arm from the D-backs instead, like Zac Gallen or Merrill Kelly.