The Mariners recently inked Josh Naylor to a new deal. What’s next?
The Seattle Mariners are one of the more intriguing teams to follow in baseball this offseason. They have free agents like Josh Naylor, Jorge Polanco, and Eugenio Suárez to look into re-signing, but it’s unlikely they land a deal with all three.
Early in the offseason, the Mariners signed Naylor to a huge five-year deal, which likely means Suárez is headed to a new team this winter.
Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly recently projected Suárez would ditch the Mariners and sign a two-year, $43 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels in free agency.
Eugenio Suárez could cut ties with the Mariners in free agency
“Suárez turned 34 in July, and has some limitations defensively at third base, as evidenced by the fact that he posted minus-six defensive runs saved and minus-three outs above average this past season,” Kelly wrote. “Those factors will likely limit him to a two-year deal, even though he’s coming off of the second 49-homer season of his career. The Angels—a team that needs a third baseman and power bat—make quite a bit of sense.
“Suárez hit 189 home runs during parts of seven seasons with the Reds, and a return to Cincinnati would make sense offensively for a team that needs to add a big veteran bat. However, he would have to be willing to spend the bulk of his time at DH and/or first base, because for all of Ke’Bryan Hayes’ offensive limitations, he’s arguably the best defender in all of baseball, so they aren’t moving him off third base.”
Suárez is one of the best power hitters in the league. The Angels are seemingly attempting to contend each season. This winter, it would make a lot of sense for the Angels to go after a big free agent.
Adding Suárez to the middle of the Angels’ lineup would give the team a huge boost. He’s likely looking for a longer-term deal than two years, but at his age, that’s unlikely.
There are bound to be other teams in the sweepstakes for the star third baseman, but the Angels could make a serious effort to bring him to Los Angeles.
