Mariners just crushed the Cubs' plans with bold Eugenio Suárez trade

Eugenio Suárez returned to the Arizona Diamondbacks' starting lineup on Wednesday after an injury scare on Monday night, and that felt like it was going to be his last time with the Diamondbacks. Suárez was the top rental bat available, and the belief was that the Chicago Cubs and Seattle Mariners were the most aggressive teams in pursuit of the All-Star third baseman. In the middle of the night, heading into the day of the deadline, the Mariners swooped in and completed a trade with the Diamondbacks.

The particulars saw the Mariners send first base prospect Tyler Locklear as the centerpiece of their package to Arizona, adding in pitching prospects Hunter Cranton and Juan Burgos. Not quite the original asking price the Diamondbacks had for Suárez, but they made out with one prospect from the Mariners' Top 10 list in Locklear, and Cranton and Burgon were the No. 16 and No. 17 prospects of the Mariners' system according to MLB Pipeline.

This appears to be one of those situations where the Mariners truly were the more aggressive team than the Cubs. Considering the emergence of Matt Shaw's offensive profile since the All-Star break, and the Cubs still looking for a controllable starting pitcher, the Cubs likely weren't going to get into a bidding war with the Mariners.

Cubs lose Eugenio Suárez sweepstakes as Mariners pull off bold trade

More importantly, Suárez didn't land with the Milwaukee Brewers, and even better, the veteran slugger is now out of the National League.

The expectation should be that the Cubs will add a position player before the deadline on Thursday evening. Given that the team moved on from Vidal Bruján on Wednesday, chances are the Cubs are looking for a utility player who can raise the level of production from the bench.

Willi Castro of the Minnesota Twins remains an ideal target, considering his ability to play all three outfield spots in addition to second base, third base, and shortstop. Castro is the exact type of player the Cubs should be looking for as a bench improvement. And, if Shaw were to regress, Castro has the profile to serve as an everyday player at third base.

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