Sources: Mariners finalizing deal for 3B Suarez

The Seattle Mariners are finalizing a trade for third baseman Eugenio Suárez, landing the most coveted power bat of trade deadline season from the Arizona Diamondbacks for three prospects, sources told ESPN on Wednesday night.

The deal, which is pending a medical review, will send first baseman Tyler Locklear and right-handers Juan Burgos and Hunter Cranton to the Diamondbacks, who already had dealt first baseman Josh Naylor to Seattle less than a week earlier.

Suárez, 34, ranks fifth in the majors with 36 home runs and rejoins a Mariners team with which he spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

With a lineup that now will include Suárez, Naylor, American League MVP favorite Cal Raleigh, center fielder Julio Rodríguez and outfielder Randy Arozarena, the Mariners have remade what once was a tepid offense into one of the most dangerous in baseball. And with a rotation featuring Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, George Kirby and Luis Castillo complementing a bullpen of Andrés Muñoz, Matt Brash, Gabe Speier and the just-acquired Caleb Ferguson, Seattle is primed to make a run in October.

First the Mariners need to get there.

At 57-52, they are tied for the final wild-card playoff spot in the AL with the Texas Rangers, whom they host for a four-game series starting Thursday. Seattle had spent much of Wednesday in the running for closer Jhoan Duran, who eventually was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies by the Minnesota Twins. The Mariners pivoted back to Suárez, who will be a free agent after the season, and struck the deal with the Diamondbacks days after the slugger was hit in the left index finger with a 96 mph fastball. After X-rays returned negative and Suárez sat out one game, he returned Wednesday, going 1-for-4 with a double to bring his season line to .248/.320/.576 with a National League-leading 87 RBIs.

The emergence of Suárez as one of the game's preeminent power hitters and one of the most coveted players on the trade market helps fill a hole at third base for the Mariners, where rookie Ben Williamson had provided strong defense but is hitting .253/.294/.310.

Though Suárez is regarded as an average fielder at third, the Mariners targeted him for the thump in his bat and the balance it brings to their lineup. With J.P. Crawford hitting leadoff and sporting a .361 on-base percentage, Rodríguez hitting second and Raleigh third, Suárez can occupy the cleanup spot with Arozarena, Naylor and Jorge Polanco behind him.

To acquire Suárez, Seattle did not need to dip into its deep well of top prospects, though Locklear is a major-league-ready first baseman who should occupy the position as Arizona retools for 2026. The 24-year-old has done nothing but hit in the minor leagues, posting an .894 OPS over nearly 1,500 minor league plate appearances, including a .316/.401/.542 line with 19 home runs and 82 RBIs at Triple A this season.

Like Locklear, Burgos, 25, has spent a short amount of time in the major leagues, appearing in four games for the Mariners this season. Working exclusively out of the bullpen this season, Burgos posted a 0.87 ERA in 31 innings in the minors and limited opponents to a .132 batting average, striking out 31 and walking nine.

The 24-year-old Cranton, drafted in the third round by Seattle last year, has thrown only 18⅓ innings in the minor leagues but offers a fastball that tops out at 100 mph and could move quickly through the Diamondbacks organization.

Arizona entered the season with playoff aspirations but suffered through a rash of injuries -- including Tommy John surgery for right-hander Corbin Burnes, who signed a six-year, $210 million free agent deal over the winter -- and eventually decided to offload its impending free agents. With Suárez and Naylor in Seattle, and Randal Grichuk in Kansas City, the Diamondbacks still are entertaining deals for right-handers Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen, at least one of whom is expected to move.

The Diamondbacks could quickly rebound from 51-58 record. With star right fielder Corbin Carroll and second baseman Ketel Marte, plus shortstop Geraldo Perdomo and top infield prospect Jordan Lawlar, Arizona's core is strong enough to compete in a balanced NL. The Diamondbacks continue to prioritize pitching -- particularly of the near-major-league-ready variety -- as they head into the final hours before Thursday's 6 p.m. ET deadline.