The Mariners traded third baseman Eugenio Suarez to the Diamondbacks for a back-up catcher and a young reliever:

The Mariners received right-hander Carlos Vargas and veteran catcher Seby Zavala for Suarez, who has belted at least 21 home runs in each of the past seven full seasons.

The reigning National League champion Diamondbacks were in need of a third baseman when three-time All-Star Evan Longoria became a free agent this month. Longoria, 38, appeared in just 74 games during the regular season but started 16 of 17 games at the hot corner during Arizona’s postseason run.

ESPN.com

Vargas pitched unimpressively in the minors, but his ability to limit home runs might be useful. He walks a ton of batters, however. Zavala .210/.275/.347 career slash line pretty much defines “great handler of pitchers.”

Diamondbacks fans gloat that they fleeced the Mariners, This is the type of deal many decades ago where Seattle would have sold Suarez’s contract for cash, but those deals are pretty much not allowed any more. The Arizona faithful should not gloat too much. Suarez peaked early. During his seasonal age 25 to age 27 years, he posted a .271/.364/.521 slash line and amassed All-Star and MVP consideration. Since then, his line looks like .221/.314/.430 with 648 K in 2128 PA, 30% of the time. This is not an MVP, and Seattle can probably find someone just as good for less money.