ATLANTA — The Arizona Diamondbacks are expected to sell at the upcoming July 31 trade deadline, and two-time All-Star third baseman Eugenio Suárez could be one of the first to go.
Suárez, who will become a free agent after the season, is having an excellent year. He’s batting .250 with 31 home runs and 78 RBIs — tops in the National League — through 95 games, along with an impressive .889 OPS. Back in April, he made history by becoming just the 19th player ever to hit four home runs in a single game. Now 34, Suárez has reestablished himself as one of baseball’s most dangerous right-handed power hitters in 2025.
And he already has a preferred destination in mind: the Detroit Tigers.
“Going back to where it all began would be really special,” Suárez said on July 14, the day before he played in the 2025 MLB All-Star Game. “It would mean a lot to me.”
Suárez signed with Detroit as a teenager out of Venezuela during the 2008 international signing period, receiving a $10,000 bonus. He worked his way up from the Venezuelan Summer League to Triple-A Toledo and made his MLB debut with the Tigers in 2014.
His first big-league appearance came on June 4, 2014, at Comerica Park against the Blue Jays. He ended up playing 85 games that year, hitting .242 with four homers.
That December, the Tigers traded Suárez and pitching prospect Jonathon Crawford to the Reds in exchange for righty Alfredo Simón. Since then, Suárez has played for Cincinnati, Seattle, and now Arizona.
“A lot has changed since I was with Detroit,” Suárez noted. “They’ve got a new core — a young, talented team. I really think they can go beyond just making the playoffs this year.”
As the second half of the season begins, the Tigers are 59-38 and comfortably ahead in the AL Central by 11½ games. However, they’re still looking to strengthen their roster — specifically in the bullpen and at third base, where they lack a consistent right-handed bat.
Suárez believes this could be Detroit’s year to win it all.
“They’ve got the best pitcher in baseball right now in Tarik Skubal,” he said. “And they’ve got so many great players. I really think they can win the World Series.”
Currently, the Tigers’ main third baseman is Zach McKinstry, who’s having a breakout season and even made the All-Star team as an injury replacement. But there are signs he might cool off: He’s hitting .285 with an .836 OPS in 88 games this year — well above his career numbers coming into 2025 (.220 average, .643 OPS in 387 games). McKinstry has also played six positions this year, spending more than 200 innings in the outfield.
With that in mind, adding a proven bat like Suárez at the deadline could be a smart move for Detroit.
“You never know,” Suárez said of a potential return. A career .249 hitter with 1,566 games under his belt and a .794 OPS, he added: “Baseball’s unpredictable. It wouldn’t be crazy to finish where it started. We’ll see what happens.”
If he isn’t dealt to the Tigers this summer, they could always make a run at him in free agency. Other teams — including the Mariners, Cubs, and Yankees — are also expected to be in the mix.
But Suárez made it clear: he’s open to coming back.
“Every team will be on the table,” he said. “But Detroit will definitely be one of them.”
