MLB Rumors: Mariners Prioritize Re-Signing One Of Their Big 3 Free Agents

Eugenio Suarez & Josh Naylor, Seattle Mariners

It was a crushing defeat for the Seattle Mariners, who were just eight outs away from making it to their first World Series, before losing in Game 7 of the ALCS to the Toronto Blue Jays. Now, despite their great run to the AL West division title and the Championship Series, changes are afoot this offseason. The Mariners have three key players heading to free agency, but it sounds like they are mainly prioritizing one of them.

Adam Jude of The Seattle Times says that re-signing Josh Naylor is the team's priority this offseason.

Naylor was acquired at the trade deadline, and manager of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has already made it clear how much Naylor means to the team.

“He was a boost the day he showed up,” Dipoto said. “I think the other 25 guys were really uplifted by the fact that this was a real, All-Star-level player who was in the middle of having a good year, who has been (in) postseasons, who could come in here and give us a little bit of an edge that I'm not entirely sure we've ever really had before.”

So where does that leave the other two pending free agents, Eugenio Suarez (also acquired at the deadline) and Jorge Polanco?

According to Jude, Polanco is the second priority for the M's to try to hang onto. But as for Suarez, his return engagement in Seattle is probably over.

"The cold reality is Suárez enters free agency at age 34, and the Mariners have two young infielders — Ben Williamson and Colt Emerson — expected to be ready to compete for the third-base job in spring training," writes Jude.

Suarez authored the biggest moment of the postseason for the M's (and one of the biggest in team history), blasting an 8th-inning grand slam to win Game 5 of the ALCS, and put the team one win away from the World Series—a win, however, that wouldn't materialize.

The second baseman, Polanco, had his best season in four years, blasting 26 homers with 78 RBIs and an .821 OPS (134 OPS+) to re-establish himself as a great infield power option. He will be sought after in free agency.