The Arizona Diamondbacks’ decision to trade All-Star third baseman Eugenio Suarez to the Seattle Mariners at the 2025 Deadline may not look like much of a productive deal for either club as of this writing, but Arizona did get something positive out of it.
Arizona dealt Suárez back to the team they originally required him from in 2024, where he’s currently playing for a pennant alongside a plethora of other former D-backs.
In return, the D-backs got back first base prospect Tyler Locklear, right-hand reliever Juan Burgos and righty starter Hunter Cranton.
None of those players had particularly successful seasons in Arizona, but the departure of Suárez did force one previously-overlooked player into an everyday role — utilityman Blaze Alexander. We’ll break down that surprise contribution below.
But first, a look at the numbers from the players involved in the trade:
Suárez had been the gem of the Deadline, after hitting .248/.320/.576 with 36 homers for Arizona. He recorded 87 RBI and even notched a historic four-homer game.
Once dealt back to Seattle, regression hit hard. Suárez hit just .189 with a .883 OPS for the Mariners, though he did manage 13 homers in 53 games. 13 homers is not insignificant, but his 91 wRC+ post-trade is 9% below league average.
Thus far in the playoffs, he’s only hit .152 and slugged .273, but there’s still time for the affable veteran to have his moment.
Meanwhile, Arizona’s returns were unproductive. Locklear hit just .175 with three homers and struggled to find his footing in the majors before going down with season-ending injuries to both his elbow and shoulder.
Burgos pitched to an 8.10 ERA for the D-backs, though four of his six earned runs came in one blowup outing. There’s certainly potential for development, but 2025 was not kind to the right-hander, at least at the major league level.
Cranton went down with an injury before he had a chance to make an appearance for the Double-A Amarillo Sod Poodles.
At first glance, it seems that neither team truly benefited greatly from the deal. Seattle takes the edge in the short term, but not by a wide margin.
But when Suárez left, Alexander took over full-time third base duties, and performed at a surprisingly high level defensively.
Related Content: How Diamondbacks’ Blaze Alexander Earned his Major Opportunity
Alexander looked nothing like the defensively-erratic version of himself that missed Opening Day with an injury. He played notably-improved defense at third and second base, and even made some highlight-reel plays in the outfield.
While his bat was only worth a .706 OPS, Alexander’s defensive versatility and overall positive energy was a major boost to a D-backs club that had been in dire need of a spark post-Deadline. That opportunity likely would not have arisen had Suárez and his 12 third base errors departed.
Source link
