Suárez Deal Latest in Hazen and DiPoto's Vibrant Trade History

When Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen looks to upgrade to his roster through the trade market, he's found a willing partner in Jerry Dipoto and the Seattle Mariners. Today marked the fourth time since 2016 that the two teams connected on a trade, with the D-backs acquiring Eugenio Suárez. Arizona is hoping that Suárez can bridge the gap between now and when Tommy Troy or Gino Groover is ready to take over at third base.

"When you have conversations with Jerry, he's very direct" said Hazen. "When he says he's going to do something, I take him at his word. He's very direct in how he approaches these things, he tells you what he wants and tells you what he'll do, and you can do the same. When we have those conversations, things happen very quickly."  

Some of these trades drastically changed the direction of the two respective franchises, swapping future All-Stars and key contributors on postseason teams. Here's a quick rundown of the history between the two teams, from largest to smallest impact.

November 2016: 2B Jean Segura, OF Mitch Haniger, and LHP Zac Curtis for RHP Taijuan Walker and SS Ketel Marte

Hazen's first big trade with the D-backs came nearly seven years ago to the day, with the team still reaping the benefits of that deal. Marte proved to be the best player of the deal, accumulating 20.6 average WAR and signing two extensions. Walker put up a solid first year in Arizona, but was non-tendered after the 2019 season due to elbow and shoulder issues. The D-backs gave up a lot of value with Haniger putting up an impressive 2018 season and Segura turning into another long term value add when they traded him to Philadelphia for J.P. Crawford after 2017. Both teams ultimately benefitted greatly from this deal, in both the short and long term.

July 2023: 3B/2B Josh Rojas, 2B Ryan Bliss, and OF Dominic Canzone for RHP Paul Sewald

The D-backs paid a premium to land Sewald, with controllable infielder Josh Rojas going to Seattle along with prospects Dominic Canzone and Ryan Bliss. Sewald proved to be the missing piece for the 2023 Diamondbacks, helping them reach the World Series with his first six appearances going scoreless. While the World Series didn't go Sewald and the D-backs way, they would not have gotten there without him. He'll once again be tasked with the 9th inning come 2024. Bliss has the profile of an everyday second baseman who projects to be a top defender at the position to carry a slightly below-average offensive profile. Canzone is a fourth outfielder who has impressive raw power that could play in a first base/left field platoon. Seattle has a chance to make this a big long term win, especially if Bliss pans out, but getting to the World Series made this deal worthwhile for Arizona.

July 2019: 2B Jose Caballero for RHP Mike Leake and cash considerations

The D-backs found themselves in a weird deadline situation in 2019, selling on Zack Greinke while buying on Zac Gallen and Mike Leake. Leake almost joined the D-backs four offseasons prior on a deal that was rumored to be around $10 million per season, but the deal was vetoed by ownership and the team wound up trading for Shelby Miller instead. The quintessential innings eater, he averaged 200+ innings per season with an ERA+ of 99 between 2009 and 2018. Arizona picked up the former Sun Devil, only obligated to pay $6 million of the final two-plus years of the deal.  He went 3-3 with a 4.35 ERA in 10 starts down the stretch for the D-backs in 2019. After sitting out all of 2020 due to the pandemic, Leake's $18 million option was declined, with the Mariners on the hook for a $5 million buyout.

November 2022: C/OF Cooper Hummel for OF Kyle Lewis

While not quite the blockbuster, the two teams also agreed to a trade last offseason. Hazen bought low on former Rookie of the Year winner Kyle Lewis, sending Cooper Hummel to Seattle. Lewis once again dealt with a lengthy stint on the injured list, this time due to an illness, and failed to carve out a role when opportunities presented themselves. That led to the team picking up Tommy Pham at the trade deadline to be the key right-handed outfield bat. Lewis' tenure in Arizona only lasted one season as the team non-tendered him. Hummel didn't do much in Seattle in 2023, spending most of the year in Triple-A Tacoma. This was one of those deals where both teams were looking to get some value out of a player who wasn't going to be in their long term plans, with both of them proving why with their new team.

In two other separate minor trades, the Mariners acquired Kristopher Negrón and Stuart Fairchild from the D-backs for cash considerations.