The Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks agreed to a blockbuster four-player trade overnight, one that will send slugging third baseman Eugenio Suárez back to the Pacific Northwest in exchange for three players: first baseman Tyler Locklear and right-handed pitchers Hunter Cranton and Juan Burgos.
As is tradition every July, we here at CBS Sports celebrate each notable trade by offering instant analysis and grades as they cross the wire. Below, you’ll find our takes on the Suárez agreement, complete with a letter grade for each team. First, though, let’s revisit the swap’s parameters:
- Mariners receive: 3B Eugenio Suárez
- Diamondbacks receive: 1B Tyler Locklear, RHP Hunter Cranton, and RHP Juan Burgos
Now, onward.
Mariners grade: A
Suárez, who narrowly avoided a serious injury earlier this week on a hit by pitch, returns to Seattle, where he spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons before then being shipped to the Diamondbacks for a package of Carlos Vargas and Seby Zavala. Needless to say, the circumstances of his reentry — and the quality of the payout — are quite a bit different than they were on that faithful day back in November 2023.
It depends on how the final day of the trading season plays out, but Suárez may well go down as the top position player moved this month. At minimum, he could be the best infielder. There are some blemishes worth knowing about: he’s an impending free agent and he’s not much of a defender, so don’t expect him to offer a long value tail or patrol the hot corner with a vacuum. Still, the Mariners were OK with those flaws because he’ll now form one of the most impressive one-two slugging punches in all of the majors alongside catcher Cal Raleigh — and will provide a massive offensive upgrade at the hot corner, where the M’s have ranked in the bottom third of the league in production.
Suárez will join the Mariners having hit .248/.320/.576 with 36 home runs and 19 doubles. He ranks fifth in home runs, with Raleigh checking in at No. 1. The best way to score runs is to hit the ball over the fence, and the Mariners now have their own version of — if not Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, something closer to Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker.
It’s fair to point out that Suárez’s time in Seattle wasn’t quite as prosperous as his time in Arizona. The Mariners’ ballpark ranks 24th out of 28 MLB fields in terms of right-handed home-run park factor. Odds are, Suárez is not going to launch as many home runs the rest of the way as he would’ve had he remained with the D-backs or … well, went to just about any other team. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad trade, it just means that some additional understanding is necessary.
Besides, these Mariners have a chance to overtake the Astros in the American League West, and an opportunity still to claim home-field advantage throughout the postseason. It won’t be easy, by any means, but they’ve improved their chances here — and they’ve done so without touching the top of a strong farm system. Considering how difficult this deadline is shaping up to be, so far as finding legitimate middle-of-the-order hitters, this has to be considered a worthwhile deal.
Diamondbacks grade: C
Given that Suárez indeed looked to be the best offensive player on the market, and given that the Diamondbacks could have waited until closer to the actual deadline to make a move, this feels like a somewhat disappointing return based on the profiles they received: a right-handed-hitting first baseman and two relievers, one of which went unpicked in last year’s Rule 5 draft.
Locklear, 24, is a former second-round pick who was promoted to the majors on Wednesday to take Luke Raley’s place on the active roster. He had heretofore spent the season in Triple-A, hitting .316/.401/.542 with 19 home runs and 18 stolen bases. Locklear hits the ball hard — his average exit velocity in Triple-A was north of 90 mph, and he’s been on a tear since making a mechanical adjustment in June — and he absolutely has power to all fields.
At the same time, Locklear has whiffed on nearly 30% of his swings this season. For reference, Suárez has swung and missed on around 32% of his attempts — with all of those coming versus big-league competition. Factor in how Locklear is just a right-right first baseman, a profile most teams roll their eyes at anymore, and there’s a lot of pressure riding on his ability to impact the baseball against the top pitchers in the world.
Cranton, 24, was a third-round pick in 2024. He’s pitched exclusively out of the bullpen dating back to his platform year at Kansas, making him a pure relief prospect. In 10 appearances this season, he’s compiled a 0.90 ERA and a 4.67 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In theory, there’s a power arm right-hander here who could trot through the minors. In practice, things seldom go according to plan when it comes to pitching prospects — particularly those who work in relief.
Burgos, 25, debuted in the majors earlier this month and has since made four appearances. He’s largely spent the year in the minors, split between Double- and Triple-A, compiling a 0.87 ERA and a 3.44 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Burgos is an east-west pitcher who delivers the ball from a low slot and is dependent on horizontal movement. His arsenal includes a mid-90s sinker, a low-90s cutter, and a mid-80s sweeper, with the cutter serving as his top bat misser. He figures to slot into the Diamondbacks bullpen, either immediately or imminently, with a chance to carve out a role.
It’s to be seen what the Diamondbacks can get from this trio. Perhaps Locklear becomes a fixture in the middle of Arizona’s lineup, and/or maybe both Cranton and Burgos can work their way into high-leverage situations. In that case, this deal will age well enough. As it stands, though, it’s probably OK to feel a touch underwhelmed by this package considering the strength of the Mariners’ system and the paucity of comparable offensive talent available.
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