Mariners Acquire INF Eugenio Suárez & OF Jesse Winker from Cincinnati

Seattle sends RHP Justin Dunn, OF Jake Fraley, LHP Brandon Williamson & PTBNL or cash considerations

PEORIA, Ariz. — Seattle Mariners President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto announced today that the Mariners have acquired infielder Eugenio Suárez (AY-you-hay-nee-oh SWA-rez) and outfielder Jesse Winker from Cincinnati in exchange for right-handed pitcher Justin Dunn, outfielder Jake Fraley, minor league left-handed pitcher Brandon Williamson and a player to be named later or cash considerations.

“We’re incredibly excited at the chance to acquire two All-Star caliber players,” Dipoto said. “Jesse has been one of the premier offensive players in the league over the past two seasons, while Suárez brings a long track record as a power hitter. Our goal is to reach the postseason this year, and we feel that these additions give us the depth and impact in our lineup necessary to compete for one of those spots.”

Suárez, 30, leads the Major Leagues with 129 home runs since the beginning of the 2018 season. During that span, he ranks tied for 12th in the Majors with 324 RBI (also: Nelson Cruz), while posting an .842 OPS. Among all primary infielders (60% G), his .842 OPS ranks 12th in the Majors and 6th in the National League during that span (min. 2000 PA).

Suárez blasted 49 home runs in 2019, the most in Major League history by a National League third baseman, and 2nd-most by any primary third baseman (60% G), trailing only Alex Rodriguez (54, 2007). His 49 home runs were also the most ever by a Venezuelan-born player, ranking ahead of Salvador Perez (48, 2021), Andres Galarraga (47, 1996) and Miguel Cabrera (44, 2012 & ’13).

Suárez posted an .859 OPS during the second half of the 2021 season, slashing .370/.460/.808 during the month of September with 15 runs scored, 8 doubles, 8 home runs, 13 RBI and 11 walks. The 5-foot-11, 213-pound infielder finished the season with 31 home runs, and he has tallied at least 30 home runs in 3 of his last 4 seasons, with the lone exception being the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign (15 HR).

Overall, Suárez has appeared in parts of 8 Major League seasons with the Tigers (2014) and Reds (2015–21), batting .252 (887x3520) with 506 runs scored, 153 doubles, 11 triples, 193 home runs, 547 RBI, 28 stolen bases and 394 walks in 1001 career games. He originally signed with the Detroit Tigers as an international free agent on Oct. 9, 2008 and made his Major League debut with the Tigers on June 4, 2014 vs. Toronto. He was named a National League All-Star in 2018.

Winker, 28, hit .305 (129x423) with 77 runs scored, 32 doubles, 1 triple, 24 home runs, 71 RBI, 1 stolen base, 53 walks, a .394 on-base percentage and a .556 slugging percentage (.949 OPS) in 110 games with the Reds in 2021. He was named a National League All-Star for the first time in his career, with his .949 OPS ranking 4th in the National League (min. 400 PA). The 6-foot-3, 215-pound, left-handed outfielder has played every outfield position in his Major League career, while making over two thirds of his starts in left field.

During the 2021 season, Winker slashed .346/.428/.642 vs. right-handed pitchers, while posting a 192 OPS+. His 192 OPS+ vs. righties ranked 3rd-best in the Major Leagues (min. 350 PA), trailing only Bryce Harper (214 OPS+) and Juan Soto (198 OPS+). Since making his Major League debut in 2017, he ranks 5th in the Major Leagues with a .960 OPS vs. right-handers, trailing only Mike Trout (1.120), Juan Soto (1.025), Freddie Freeman (.987) and Bryce Harper (.986).

Winker holds a .288 (378x1312) career batting average with 214 runs scored, 79 doubles, 3 triples, 66 home runs, 190 RBI, 3 stolen bases, 183 walks, a .385 on-base percentage and a .504 slugging percentage (.888 OPS) in 413 games over parts of 5 Major League seasons. He was originally selected by Cincinnati in the first round (49th overall) of the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Olympia High School in Orlando, FL.

Dunn, 26, posted a 3.94 ERA (45 ER, 102.2 IP) with 69 walks and 92 strikeouts in parts of 3 Major League seasons with the Mariners (2019–21). He made his Major League debut on Sept. 12, 2019 with Seattle vs. Cincinnati. The 6–2, 185-pound right-hander was acquired by the Mariners from the New York Mets as part of a 7-player trade on Dec. 3, 2018.

Fraley, 26, hit .196 (55x280) with 33 runs scored, 10 doubles, 1 triple, 9 home runs, 36 RBI, 10 stolen bases and 46 RBI in 97 games over parts of 3 Major League seasons with the Mariners (2019–21). He made his Major League debut with Seattle on Aug. 21, 2019 at Tampa Bay. The 6-foot, 195-pound outfielder was acquired by the Mariners along with Mallex Smith (of) on Nov. 8, 2018 in exchange for Guillermo Heredia (of) and Mike Zunino ©.

Williamson, 23, went 4–6 with a 3.25 ERA (41 ER, 113.2 IP) with 38 walks and 178 strikeouts in parts of 2 minor league seasons in the Mariners organization (2019 & ’21). He was originally selected by the Mariners in the 2nd round of the 2018 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Texas Christian University.