Angels AL West Rival Makes Themselves Worse With Questionable Trade

The Seattle Mariners made a trade on Wednesday that might've left some confused as they traded away third baseman Eugenio Suarez for a young right-handed pitcher Carlos Vargas and 30-year-old catcher Seby Zavala.

With the addition of Zavala, the Mariners will now carry a third catcher despite already having Cal Raleigh and Blake Hunt.

Last season, Zavala held a batting average of .171 with an OPS of .544 and collected 70 strikeouts and only 12 walks.

In his career, Zavala has only had one season where he really put it all together in 2022 where hit .270 with 14 doubles and 21 RBIs. For the rest of his career, Zavala has struggled to hit over .200 in a season.

Coming into last year, Vargas was ranked as the No. 24 prospect in baseball but has never really been able to put it together in the Diamondbacks organization.

In his first full season of AAA ball last year, Vargas pitched to a 1-1 record with a 7.02 ERA in 38 games while striking out just 36 batters.

With the move of Suarez to Arizona, the Mariners are now left with just one third baseman on the roster Luis Urias, whom they acquired via trade with the Boston Red Sox last week.

In his six-year career, Urias has yet to hit over .250 and is coming off a year where he hit .234 with just four home runs and 48 RBIs.

Last year, the Mariners weren't necessarily the best team offensively but also weren't the worst team as they ranked 16th in OPS (.734) and 22nd in batting average .242.

Suarez, who hit 22 home runs and drove in 96 RBIs, is leaving a huge hole at the hot corner behind him.