Tigers fans dreams were crushed overnight as Mariners make blockbuster trade

Numerous teams were said to be targeting Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez at this year's trade deadline. The Detroit Tigers were thought to have a real shot at a reunion with their former farmhand, but instead Suárez is headed back to the Pacific Northwest after the D-backs agreed to a deal with the Seattle Mariners.

This is certainly a blow to the Tigers' hopes. Though missing out on Suárez won't necessarily derail Detroit's playoff aspirations, it doesn't help. Furthermore, the Tigers now have a very fierce contender who just thrust themselves into the American League playoff picture. The Mariners have now become a legitimate threat in the AL and are currently tied for the final spot in the AL Wild Card chase.

What did Seattle give up in order to secure Suárez's services for the final two months of the 2025 season? Honestly, not much at all. Many insiders and pundits assumed that it would take a king's ransom to pry Suárez away from the Emerald City, but in the end, the Mariners didn't even have to sacrifice one of their top-100 prospects.

Tigers fans dreams were crushed as Mariners make blockbuster trade for Eugenio Suárez

Seattle sent first baseman Arizona Tyler Locklear and right-handed pitchers Hunter Cranton and Juan Burgos. Though all three players are, according to MLB Pipeline, considered to be top-20 organizational prospects in the Mariners' farm system, this is hardly the haul that many experts and pundits were assuming the D-backs could command.

To put it in context for Tigers fans, the deal would be akin to Detroit giving up something like a prospect package of Hao-Yu Lee, Josh Randle, and Michael Massey in order to bring Suárez back to the Motor City.

That certainly feels like the type of deal that Scott Harris and the Tigers front office could've pulled off. That said, it takes two to tango, and there may've been something specific about that deal with the Mariners that D-backs GM Mike Hazen and the Arizona front office really liked.

With Suárez, Ryan McMahon (New York Yankees), Ramon Urias (Houston Astros), and Ke'Bryan Hayes (Cincinnati Reds) all off the board, the opportunity for the Tigers to upgrade third base has become quite difficult. If Detroit is looking strictly for a bat, players like Ryan O'Hearn, Nolan Arenado, and Marcell Ozuna are still available, but the Tigers' dream target is now gone.

More Detroit Tigers News and Rumors