Mariners Predicted To Lose 2-Time All-Star To AL Central Contender

May 20, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the Seattle Mariners armed forces day hat in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Seattle Mariners have had a relatively quiet offseason to date, with their only major move being the signing of Josh Naylor to a five-year deal. They did add left-hander Jose Ferrer in a trade with the Washington Nationals, but they haven’t done much else.

Unfortunately, they lost Jorge Polanco to the New York Mets in free agency, so they’ll need to replace him. Eugenio Suarez is also a free agent and could depart.

Deesha Thosar of FOX Sports made predictions for where some of the top remaining free agents will sign and predicted that Suarez will ultimately depart the Mariners for the Detroit Tigers, the team they beat in the ALDS.

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The Potential Impact Of Losing Suarez

Oct 20, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Seattle Mariners third baseman Eugenio Suarez (28) hits a single against the Toronto Blue Jays in the second inning during game seven of the ALCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Suarez hit 49 home runs last season and posted an .824 OPS with the Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks. Seattle landed him at the trade deadline in July.

He had several big moments for the Mariners down the stretch, including a clutch home run in Game 5 of the ALCS. Keeping him would make sense at this point in the offseason now that Polanco is gone.

However, he may ultimately leave. He began his career with the Tigers in 2014, and he could be the missing piece for Detroit as they try to bounce back from their ALDS loss. As for Seattle, they’ll have to pivot if Suarez leaves in free agency.

They have been making a push to acquire Brendan Donovan from the St. Louis Cardinals, so he could be an ideal replacement, even though he hits for less power than Suarez.

Losing him could hurt the lineup a little bit in terms of power, but they can always pivot to Donovan. Other options are available too.

They could also potentially look into making a play for somebody like Bo Bichette or even Alex Bregman. It should be interesting to see what the Mariners will decide to do, but losing Suarez could create a bit of a ripple effect as far as roster construction goes for 2026.

There are options available for Seattle to pursue, but they would be best served trying to keep Suarez around after losing Polanco. We’ll see what president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto decides to do with his roster leading up to spring training.

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