New Seattle Mariners third baseman Eugenio Suarez made a point of interrupting president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto’s post-trade deadline news conference.
Dipoto, who reacquired the slugging third baseman from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday in exchange for a trio of minor leaguers, was praising Suárez from the Mariners’ dugout when the 34-year-old best known for his home runs and good vibes butted in.
“Stop it!” Suárez said, more than loud enough for all to hear.
(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Suárez, Dipoto and the rest of the franchise had plenty to be pleased about after the trade deadline. The Mariners, who entered Thursday night’s game against the Texas Rangers in playoff position, bolstered their lineup by adding more than just Suárez, who has 36 homers this season and is tied with Seattle’s Cal Raleigh for the major league lead with 87 RBIs.
A week ago, the Mariners made another deal with the D-backs for slugging first baseman Josh Naylor. Dipoto believes Seattle acquired the “best bats” available, adding power to a lineup that already ranks fifth in the majors in home runs.
“This is the best lineup we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Dipoto said. “Without question.”
Dipoto, who was hired as the Mariners’ general manager in 2015 and promoted to president of baseball operations in 2021, has overseen a number of competitive clubs in the Emerald City. While Seattle has qualified for the playoffs only once under Dipoto, it has had a winning record in six of the last nine seasons.
Dipoto’s teams have often been in the playoff race ahead of the deadline, but Seattle’s moves haven’t been as aggressive as this year’s additions of Suárez, Naylor and veteran left-handed reliever Caleb Ferguson.
Dipoto said his mindset wasn’t that different from previous seasons, but he said he was more willing to acquire players who will be free agents at the end of the year.
“We feel like this team deserved it, the opportunity to just go out and see if we can win the World Series,” Dipoto said. “We feel like we have as good a lineup as there is in our league. Our rotation, if our guys do the things that they do, has proven that they can be as good as anybody in this league.”
GRADING MLB’s BIGGEST TRADE DEADLINE DEALS
This team is in many ways deeper than previous squads, too. Raleigh is in the midst of what Dipoto called an “MVP-type” season, and the Mariners had four other All-Stars.
Starting pitchers George Kirby and Logan Gilbert, both of whom missed significant time earlier in the season with injuries, are healthy again, adding to a rotation that’s been buoyed by Bryan Woo and Luis Castillo.
“I think if you talk to other clubs in the league,” Dipoto said, “they’re pretty bullish on what we’re capable of when we’re hitting on all cylinders. And while we had a hot streak early in the season, we haven’t hit our next hot streak, and it’s coming.”
To Dipoto’s point, the Mariners’ longest win streak of the season was six games and it came at the end of April and early May. The additions of Suárez, Naylor and Ferguson could push Seattle from being a fringe postseason contender to a legitimate threat to win the AL West, in which they entered Thursday trailing the Houston Astros by five games.
Manager Dan Wilson was confident that he had a good team even if the Mariners hadn’t added talent at the deadline. Unlike previous seasons, though, Dipoto felt compelled to supplement the roster in a meaningful way.
“I believe that adding to this team, adding some energy to the room and just showing the guys that we believe in what we’re doing was important,” Dipoto said. “And I think the response has been great.”
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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