This would be unexpected.
The Seattle Mariners have already accomplished their main goal of this offseason. They re-signed first baseman Josh Naylor to a five-year, $92.5 million contract, but now have other matters to attend to.
Still out on the free agent market are Jorge Polanco and Eugenio Suarez. Seattle hasn’t ruled out a reunion with either one just yet, but Naylor was their top priority, and there is no guarantee either player will be back in Seattle in 2026.
When predicting each Major League team’s Opening Day lineup for next year, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report had a surprising prediction, that Seattle would lose Suarez to the Washington Nationals.
Mariners Could Face Unexpected Threat To Keep Eugenio Suarez
Suarez had a banner season with Seattle and the Arizona Diamondbacks, hitting 49 home runs and driving in 118 runs while also posting a 3.6 WAR and an .824 OPS during the regular season.
He also had some clutch moments in the postseason for the Mariners, hitting a decisive home run in Game 5 of the ALCS against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Fortunately, Seattle has three options available: prospects Colt Emerson, Ben Williamson and Cole Young, so potentially losing Suarez shouldn’t hurt them too badly. But Suarez could be a big addition for the Nationals, who have not had a winning season since winning their 2019 World Series title.
He also shouldn’t be too difficult to keep if the Mariners want to bring him back. He’ll likely receive a shorter-term contract wherever he ultimately signs, but for a high dollar value.
His second-half slump could hurt his market a little bit, but what he was able to do in the postseason could be a mitigating factor to that slump and keep teams interested.
But Washington would be an unexpected threat to the Mariners’ potential pursuit of Suarez this offseason. They aren’t a contender yet, but a move such as this would get them closer to their ultimate goals.
Because Naylor was the priority for the Mariners, it may be a longshot that they keep Suarez, and the Nationals could be an interesting fit for the two-time All-Star slugger.
We’ll see if the Mariners make an attempt to keep the veteran third baseman this offseason or ultimately decide to let him go.
