1 Mariners' player who will make or break 2025 playoff chances
The Seattle Mariners made two of the biggest deals of the MLB trade deadline, picking up Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor. The corner infielders came from the Arizona Diamondbacks in separate deals. Seattle has been unstoppable in August, but Suarez has struggled. If the Mariners are going to return to the postseason for the second time since 2001, Suarez has to be the elite bat he was in his first stint with the club.
The Arizona Diamondbacks struggled to start the season and fell way out of the competitive National League Wild Card race. They traded a lot of their pending free agents at the deadline, including Naylor and Suarez. The Mariners paid up to get both of them, dealing from a highly rated prospect pool to improve two key positions. But Suarez, one of the biggest names dealt across the league, has been terrible since returning to Seattle.
In 106 games with the Diamondbacks this season, Suarez hit 36 homers, drove in 87 runs, and posted a .897 OPS. In 11 games with the Mariners, his .098/.136/.195 slash line with one homer and six RBI has fans panicking. Naylor did not have a stretch that poor this season in Arizona. Still, Seattle is 10-1 since the deadline.
Seattle has traditionally been a difficult park to hit in, but Suarez spent two seasons with the Mariners before his tenure in Arizona. He should be familiar with T-Mobile Park, but his .331 OPS is not going to help them make the postseason. And when the postseason comes around, Suarez needs to turn it on to help them finally make a run.
The Mariners bought in on this season at the MLB trade deadline. They have barely had any success since 2001, winning only the Wild Card series in 2021, and need a jolt. Suarez should be enough on paper, but has not been recently.
The Mariners are flying high despite Eugenio Suarez's slump
Despite the slump, the Mariners have tied the Houston Astros for first in the AL West. They have not won the division since their historic 2001 campaign, and could unseat Houston in the division. Suarez was brought in before the 2022 season to get Seattle over the hump, and he did exactly that. His 31 homers, 87 RBI, and .791 OPS were massively important to their regular-season success. He had a .981 OPS in five playoff games that season.
Naylor has taken over as the engine of the lineup behind Cal Raleigh since the MLB trade deadline. In 16 games with the Mariners, he is hitting .286 with a .908 OPS and 11 RBI. First base was a black hole offensively before the deadline, with a .682 OPS from Rowdy Tellez as the highlight, and Naylor has fixed that. If both ex-Diamondbacks can get rolling at the same time, the Mariners can steal the division.
The Mariners' pitching staff has been a key factor in their competitive regular seasons in recent years. Luis Castillo, Dryan Woo, George Kirby, and Logan Gilbert make an elite playoff pitching staff. Their offense has been anemic in previous years, with the second-lowest team batting average in 2024.
If the Mariners get great offensive output from Suarez, Nayor, and Cal Raleigh, they can count on their pitching to bring them over the line. Other teams do not have the pitching depth that Seattle has, especially if they land in the three-game Wild Card round. They could lineup a rested Castillo for Game 1, helping cancel out the advantage the division winner has by getting the bye.
The Mariners should cruise to a playoff berth and could challenge the Astros for the AL West title. But for them to make a deep run, Suarez and Naylor will have to pick up the offense down the stretch.
Related: MLB Rumors: Mariners, Dodgers named suitors for Munetaka Murakami
Related: Mariners earn 'scary October team' endorsement from MLB Insider
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