Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez were brought in to help the Mariners reach the promised land, and they're just several games away from accomplishing that goal
SEATTLE — Back at the MLB trade deadline in July, the Seattle Mariners were one of the most active teams and made several moves in efforts to secure their spot in the postseason, where the franchise had been just three times this millennium (2000, 2001, 2022).
The Mariners acquired first baseman Josh Naylor from the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 24; left-handed reliever Caleb Ferguson from the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 30 and third baseman Eugenio Suarez from the Diamondbacks on July 31.
In just over two months since those moves were made, Seattle won its first American League West championship since 2001, earned a bye through the wild card-round of the playoffs as the No. 2 seed and are set to host the Detroit Tigers in Game 1 of the best-of-five American League Divisional Series at 5:38 p.m. PT on Saturday at T-Mobile Park.
The additions of Suarez and Naylor provided the Mariners with a kind of depth in their lineup the team hasn't seen in years.
"I think our offense is extremely explosive," Naylor said after an intersquad scrimmage Thursday. "Even if we haven't scored in the first four, five innings — it really just takes one inning to get going and then I feel the world is ours. Very excited for this group, for each individual, the moments they're gonna have. Playoffs — you want to be in it. And I think each person gets one or two, maybe more, chances to shine in those moments and I can't wait to see my teammates do that."
Suarez was on the team from 2022-23 before he was dealt to Arizona. Naylor, who made the American League Championship Series with the Cleveland Guardians in 2024, quickly integrated himself in the Mariners clubhouse.
With Suarez on the team, Seattle made it through the wild card round of the '22 playoffs before falling to arch rival the Houston Astros in three games in the ALDS.
When Suarez was reacquired by the Mariners, he was welcomed back by many players who were on that '22 team. Suarez feels the team is more prepared for this moment than it was in his last tenure in the Pacific Northwest.
"I think the mentality with the team has grown up a lot," Suarez said after the scrimmage Thursday. "We got more veteran guys this year. I remember my last here — (Julio Rodriguez) was young and (Cal Raleigh). ... Now, they got enough experience and our mentality is very strong. It's very good to see them grow up that fast and that good."
Since being acquired by Seattle, Naylor has scored 32 runs in 54 games and has hit 10 doubles and nine home runs with 33 RBIs. He was a perfect 19-for-19 in stolen base attempts and slashed .299/.341/.490 with an .831 OPS.
Naylor made the postseason three times with the Guardians. That experience, and his keen eye for detail as a player, has helped him keep this season and the team in its own perspective compared to other playoff teams he's competed with.
"Each playoff is different and each team is different," Naylor said. "When I was in Cleveland, we had kind of a scrappy team. We're gonna find our way on base, singles here, singles there, run the bases really well. Fast team. And this team is more like a powerful lineup. Anyone can hit a homer at any point in the game — not that we couldn't in Cleveland — but there's a lot of differences in that aspect. You can have three, four guys in an inning hit a homer. It's really unique in that way. I'm super excited to see what this playoff brings."
Suarez was one of the most dangerous power-hitters in baseball this season. He finished the year with 91 runs in 159 games and hit 28 doubles and 49 homers with 118 RBIs. He slashed .228/.298/.526 with an .824 OPS. With the Mariners, Suarez hit nine doubles and 13 home runs with 31 RBIs and slashed .189/.255/.428 with a .683 OPS. His 49 homers and 118 RBIs for the season ranked fifth and fourth in the major leagues, respectively.
Suarez felt both the highs and lows of the 2022 postseason with the team. And he's focused on making sure the team goes deeper this year than it did three years ago.
"It's motivation. I don't think it's pressure," Suarez said. "This is what you've been working for, a situation like this. I'm very happy to be back with the team, and now we have a chance at winning it all. But we got to go step-by-step. We don't have to change, and that's my thought right now. I just try to do my best and whenever they need me, I'll do my best."
The addition of both players have been instrumental in bringing playoff baseball back to Seattle. Now, the task is for them, and the rest of the club, is to do something the franchise has never done before: make and win a World Series.
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