When Eugenio Suárez entered the free agency market, the Seattle Mariners were forced to confront a familiar reality: they couldn’t rely on the same old option forever. Suárez brought power, explosive moments—but also the inconsistency the Mariners had come to live with.
And while many thought Seattle was just looking for a “backup plan,” another name began to emerge in a rather… unsettling way: Miguel Andujar.
Fansided argued that Andujar wasn’t just a temporary replacement, but could be a completely different kind of upgrade. Not more home runs—but more stability. Not more noise—but more efficiency.
The 2025 season was a turning point for Andujar. In 94 games, he shot .318/.352/.470 with 10 home runs and 44 RBIs. Those numbers were enough to grab attention, but what made teams stop and take a closer look was his performance after the deadline. When Andujar moved from the Athletics to the Reds, he truly exploded: .359/.400/.544/.944 in just 34 games, with nearly half of those extra-base hits coming in that short period.
This wasn’t pure power-based explosiveness. It was contact. Consistent hitting. Something the Mariners—a team that frequently struggles with strikeout problems—were lacking.
Christopher Kline points out a crucial detail: Andujar is versatile. Third base. Corner outfield. DH. He doesn’t lock into one position—he fills the gaps. In a Seattle team constantly rotating due to injuries and matchups, this kind of “pingpong” player is worth far more than the statistics suggest.
Of course, there are question marks. Andujar has outperformed metrics. Regression is a given. But the Mariners don’t need him to repeat .359 in half a season. They need a more stable profile than Suárez, less inconsistent, and someone who can put the ball in play when they need to run.
And then there’s the financial aspect—the crucial point.
Andujar is projected to sign a two-year, $12 million contract. In the current MLB world, that’s almost a bargain. For that amount, the Mariners aren’t just patching up their third base; they retain the flexibility to hunt other big fish—pitching, bullpen, or a midseason trade.
In a direct comparison, Suárez offers a higher ceiling—but Andujar offers a more stable floor. And in a roster already experiencing a lot of volatility, a stable floor is sometimes more important than a sudden burst of speed.
What makes this trade worth considering isn’t whether Andujar is like Suárez. It’s: Is Seattle ready to change the way they win games?
Fewer home runs. More contact. Fewer highlights. But more clean at-bats.
If the Mariners are truly tired of the “Eugenio Suárez experience,” then Miguel Andujar isn’t a stopgap solution. He could be a quiet statement that Seattle is choosing a more unpleasant path for their opponents—not through brute force, but through consistency.
And sometimes, it’s these quiet signings that change a season.
Leave a Reply