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# Analysis: Should Mariners Bring Third Baseman Eugenio Suárez Back for 2026 Season?
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/should-mariners-bring-eugenio-suarez-back-2026/
- Published: 2025-11-24T23:39:03.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T06:17:07.000Z
- Author: Callaghan Bluechel
- Tags: Analysis, Mariners, Eugenio Suarez, Ben Williamson, Colt Emerson

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On Oct. 17, 2025, Eugenio Suárez had his [finest hour](https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/content/files/2026/10/good-vibes-only-inside-geno-suarez-finest-hour-1.html). It seemed at that moment that the Mariners would do it, that the almost 50 years spent wandering the desert would end in the team’s first pennant, to be clinched beneath the CN Tower.

That didn’t happen. Suárez, like everyone else in the Emerald City, found heartbreak at the end of the road despite the team having one of the best seasons in its history. Unfinished business abounds for Seattle - but will Suárez be a part of the revenge tour? Should he be, or should the Mariners move on from Good Vibes Only for the second time in three years?

The first four months of Suárez’ season were as good as any months he had ever posted. Playing for Arizona, the Venezuelan third baseman slashed .248/.320/.576 with 36 home runs, 19 doubles, and 87 RBIs, providing much of the Diamondbacks’ production in a season plagued by injuries through much of the rest of the roster in Phoenix. Faced with Suárez’ contract year and little chance to make the playoffs, Arizona sent him to Seattle for a package centered around first baseman prospect Tyler Locklear. 

Suárez did less well once he reached T-Mobile Park, at least in the measurable things. Over two months with the Mariners, he slashed .189/.255/.428 with 13 homers, nine doubles, and 31 RBIs. This was always a distinct possibility, given how streaky Suárez has been throughout his career, but the M’s had to wait until the ALCS for their third baseman to come alive with the bat, as he went 8-26 and capped it off with the aforementioned Game 5 game-winner. 

A full season at Suárez’ overall 2025 production - a .228/.298/.526 slash line and 126 OPS+ - would be very welcome in SoDo, and anyone who can [hit](https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/sporty-videos?playId=c77a2382-c2b4-3679-a0b8-ffb804071759&ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com) [four](https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/sporty-videos?playId=26ea1cac-0877-30fc-a83a-0509e6ebb839&ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com) [home](https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/sporty-videos?playId=2b328a15-aaf4-3c27-8faf-814c413e09d5&ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com) [runs](https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/sporty-videos?playId=2fca495f-f05b-3f01-ac92-a33783761c27&ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com) in a game is going to be a premium player, but the aging curve provides no guarantee. Suárez will be 34 in 2026, but the largest concern comes from his all-or-nothing profile, as his chase rate has increased and his walk rate decreased over each of the last three seasons.

This decrease in walk rate, essentially, marks a decrease in his floor, especially during cold streaks where he would otherwise still be reaching base through walks. Seattle saw some of that lower-floor lack of production, as his .255 on-base percentage over 220 plate appearances in 53 games with Seattle was his worst stretch of 53 or more games and 220 or more plate appearances since 2021, when he opened the year with a 70-game, 297-plate appearance slump with a .253 OBP. 

Despite a .236 batting average on balls in play (BABIP) that would usually indicate positive regression, StatCast’s expected numbers (based on exit velocity and launch angle) had Suárez somewhat *over*performing in 2025, with an expected slash line of .212/.286/.450 for an xOPS of .736\. A lot of this has to do with his high fly ball rate, as fly balls tend to either be home runs or outs with little wiggle room.

Therein lies another potential point of decline: if Suárez starts to get weaker contact on average, a lot of his home runs will become routine flyouts, potentially cratering his production. That decline might not hit full swing very soon, however, since most of Suárez’ home runs are no-doubters that would still very much leave the ballpark even with a few miles an hour cut off their exit velocities.

Seattle, when evaluating Suárez, will have to consider age first and foremost. A season like his previous years would be well worth the money, but there’s no telling when exactly his age will finally catch up to him. Any individual thing that underlies power - bat speed, exit velocity, etc. - may be expected to decline to a degree in his age-35 season, but when that decline will hit critical mass is impossible to predict.

In my own view, Suárez probably still has another strong year left, but it’s unknown what length of contract he might be looking for.

There are also intangibles to consider, however. Suárez is renowned for his “good vibes only” mantra for good reason, as his electric, infectious personality lifts up the whole clubhouse, rain or shine. That’s not something that can be measured with any statistic, but good chemistry and optimism is a luxury that is often best appreciated when it isn’t there. In any case, despite his struggles, the 2025 M’s had a .600 winning percentage (including playoffs) with Suárez on the team and a .523 winning percentage without him. That’s obviously an incredibly flawed way of trying to quantify the unquantifiable, but it probably counts for something.

The M’s may end up moving on from Suárez for somewhat unrelated reasons. Seattle is looking to make space for top prospect Colt Emerson, and with Suárez’ fellow free agent infielder Jorge Polanco potentially looking like a surer option than Suárez with the bat, there is a good chance that Emerson gets most of his playing time at third base. While relying on an as of yet pre-debut prospect to fill a big position is always a risk, [comments Mariners management made after the end of the year](https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/content/files/2026/10/glimpsing-offseason-priorities-four-takeaways-mariners-end-season-interviews-1.html) indicate that they plan to put a good amount of trust in these prospects.

But should this be the Mariners’ plan? Well, prospects have to be told to sink or swim at some point, and that means big league reps - but it also means big league reps in an environment where they don’t have to carry all the team’s weight on their backs, and the call-ups need to come when the prospects are ready. Is Emerson ready? 

The 20-year-old infielder played just six games in Triple-A at the end of the year, but in 34 Double-A games, he slashed .282/.360/.430 (a 130 OPS+ in the 2025 Texas League) with three home runs and 10 doubles. The team’s plan for Emerson does seem to be similar to that of Julio Rodríguez, where the player effectively makes the jump straight from Double-A to the majors without a meaningful stop in Tacoma. 

Rodríguez, however, had a .362/.461/.546 slash line in Double-A Arkansas in 2021, good for a 172 OPS+ in what was then called Double-A Central, and Emerson’s .343 BABIP means that his profile is due for regression - to around a .242 batting average assuming a .290 BABIP (though Rodríguez benefitted from an even more ridiculous .431 BABIP with the 2021 Travelers, and his .290-BABIP regressed batting average with that team would have been .257). There’s a good chance, therefore, that Emerson won’t be ready until he has a month or two of Triple-A at-bats under his belt, and in that case, bringing Suárez back for a year looks more attractive, though [Ben Williamson](https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/content/files/2026/10/can-ben-williamson-become-mariners-everyday-third-baseman-1.html) could also fill the third base role.

Ultimately, however, either path is justifiable for 2026, as long as the M’s don’t give Suárez an overly-long contract and they don’t rush Emerson to the big leagues prematurely if he does indeed need more time.