Could Eugenio Suarez return to the Mariners on a one-year contract?
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As the Seattle Mariners eye the start of Spring Training next month, they still don't know who is going to be manning third base when Opening Day finally arrives. Right now, it would likely be 25-year-old Ben Williamson to fill the spot. However, a recent theory sees last year's starter and current free agent Eugenio Suarez returning... at least for 2026, anyway.
Suarez blasted a total of 49 home runs and drove in 118 runs playing for the Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks. However, his average was a weak .228, and he began to look like an 'all-or-nothing' hitter. Now 34 years old, he hasn't been able to secure a multi-year deal as a free agent, and much like the M's themselves, he's also starting to run out of options in terms of the upcoming season.
A recent article suggested the current scenario could open the door for a return to Seattle on a one-year deal. That could be a win-win for both the player and the team, who would like to ease young players like Williamson and top prospect Colt Emerson into action in 2026.
A short-term solution for Suarez & Seattle?
Just Baseball's Ryan Finkelstein recently wrote that Suárez would re-sign with the Mariners on a one-year, $20 million deal this offseason. While this scenario seemed improbable previously, it's not so far-fetched now.
"My last prediction on Eugenio Suarez was that he would reunite with the Arizona Diamondbacks on a two-year deal, but now that Nolan Arenado has been traded to the desert, there is no room for Geno," Finkelstein wrote. "Instead, we got him going back to his other old team, signing with the Seattle Mariners.
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"When the offseason first began, my prediction for Geno was that he would sign a three-year deal for $70 million. Then, in an update, I dropped the salary down to $20 million per over a two-year deal. Finally, I am starting to wonder if Suarez only lands a one-year deal."
