D-backs' Torey Lovullo Shares Amusing Eugenio Suárez Story

The affable former Arizona Diamondback made a quick change after his trade.

Aug 5, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners third baseman Eugenio Suarez (28) blows a bubble during the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

It's been over a week's worth of games since former Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star third baseman Eugenio Suárez was traded to the Seattle Mariners, but D-backs manager Torey Lovullo is still holding a (playful) grudge against his former player.

In a recent pre-game press conference, Lovullo told reporters that, upon calling Suárez following the trade, the slugger had already changed his contact photo to one featuring the Mariners.

"I decided that I was going to call Geno first thing in the morning. ... So on the 31st, I called him early in the morning... and just told him goodbye and good luck. And that was the last time I talked to him," Lovullo said.

"[I was] a little pissed at him because when I called him, he already had a Seattle Mariner picture up on his phone. It had been like seven hours, and he had that thing changed out already," Lovullo said jokingly.

The skipper got back into that very same topic a few days later, speaking to Arizona Sports 98.7's Burns & Gambo on Friday.

"I've got to get on him about that," he said. "I haven't done it yet. It was all so new to us.

"It was the first call I made the next morning, because it was a little bit late in the evening, and I didn't want to bother him and his family. I knew that their world had been flip-flopped upside down, so I called the next morning, already had the Seattle Mariners photo up. Kind of a letdown."

As fun as it is to playfully jab at a former player, the truth is that's simply who Suárez is — an eager, all-in team player. It would not at all be shocking if Suárez had done the very same thing in reverse upon his initial trade from Seattle to Arizona in 2024.

Despite the playful "beef," Lovullo spoke fondly of Suárez, wishing him only the best in his new chapter.

"He's getting to go back home to a team that he knows very well, to a group that he's probably going to just jump right into and help him start winning baseball games. And there's some familiarity to it," Lovullo said.

Suárez recently hit his first homer as a member of the Mariners. He has yet to make a consistent impact, as he's opened his second Seattle tenure in a .107/.133/.250 slump, but it's hard to imagine his streaky power isn't nearing a return.

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