Suárez to Mariners, Durán to Phillies as MLB trade market heats up before Thursday’s deadline

The Seattle Mariners acquired slugger Eugenio Suárez, the Philadelphia Phillies dealt for hard-throwing reliever Jhoan Durán and identical twin relievers Tyler and Taylor Rogers got traded on the same day, capping a busy Wednesday as the Major League Baseball trade deadline approaches on Thursday.

Suárez — who had 36 homers and 87 RBIs this season for the Arizona Diamondbacks — was widely considered one of the top prizes of the trade deadline. A person familiar with the transaction confirmed it to The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because it had not been announced.

The 34-year-old Suárez spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons with the Mariners, hitting 53 homers.

The 27-year-old Durán has a 2.01 ERA and 16 saves this season, striking out 53 over 49 1/3 innings for the Minnesota Twins. The Phillies gave up two top prospects, catcher Eduardo Tait and right-hander Mick Abel.

Tyler Rogers and Ryan Helsley are headed to the New York Mets, who are fighting for first place in the NL East with the Phillies. The accomplished relievers join Edwin Díaz in the bullpen to give the Mets multiple late-inning options.

The durable Rogers — who has a distinctive submarine delivery — has made 53 appearances this season with a 1.80 ERA, four walks and 38 strikeouts for the San Francisco Giants. The Mets sent the Giants right-handers José Buttó and Blade Tidwell, along with outfielder Drew Gilbert.

Helsley has a 3.00 ERA, 21 saves and 41 strikeouts over 36 innings this year for the St. Louis Cardinals, where he’s spent the past seven seasons. New York dealt St. Louis three minor leaguers, including infielder Jesus Baez and right-handers Nate Dohm and Frank Elissalt.

Even after Suarez was dealt, many of the trade deadline’s biggest names remained on the market, setting up a potentially fascinating 24 hours.

Pittsburgh right-hander Mitch Keller and Cleveland outfielder Steven Kwan were among the potential season-altering additions that teams were pursuing ahead of Thursday’s 6 p.m. EDT deadline.

In other moves Wednesday, the New York Yankees added veteran outfielder Austin Slater, the Cincinnati Reds acquired Gold Glove third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes and the Chicago Cubs traded for right-handed starter Michael Soroka.

The 32-year-old Slater gives the Yankees a dependable right-handed batter for the final two months of the season. He’s hit .236 with five homers and 11 RBIs in 51 games with the White Sox this season and has an .859 OPS against left-handed pitching.

The White Sox acquired minor league pitching prospect Gage Ziehl in the trade.

The Reds acquired Hayes from the Pirates in exchange for Taylor Rogers, who unlike his brother throws lefty — and overhand. Pittsburgh also got shortstop prospect Sammy Stafura and cash from Cincinnati.

The swap gives the Reds an elite defender at third with a manageable contract. The 28-year-old Hayes, a Gold Glove winner in 2023, has four-plus years left on the extension he signed with Pittsburgh in 2022.

He will make $7 million in 2026 and 2027 and $8 million in 2028 and 2029, with a club option for $12 million in 2030. He’s hitting .236 with two home runs and 36 RBIs this season.

The 27-year-old Soroka is off to Chicago, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. He was an All-Star in 2019 and has 3-8 record with a 4.87 ERA for the Washington Nationals this season.

Washington received two minor leaguers — infielder Ronny Cruz and outfielder Christian Franklin.

Suárez returned to the Diamondbacks’ lineup on Wednesday and went 1 for 4, two days after an injury scare. The slugger was hit on the right index finger by a pitch against the Detroit Tigers on Monday.

The D-backs have turned into sellers at the deadline after dropping eight of their last nine games and falling to 51-58. Right-handed pitchers Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen are among the other Arizona players who could be dealt.

In other moves on Wednesday:

— The Red Sox acquired lefty Steven Matz from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for minor league first baseman Blaze Jordan.

— The Reds traded for right-hander Zach Littell from the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-way deal involving the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays.

— The Los Angeles Angels acquired relievers Andrew Chafin and Luis García from the Nationals for left-hander Jake Eder and minor league first baseman Sam Brown.

— The Atlanta Braves acquired veteran reliever Tyler Kinley from the Colorado Rockies for minor league pitcher Austin Smith.

— The Seattle Mariners agreed to add left-handed reliever Caleb Ferguson from the Pittsburgh Pirates, giving their bullpen another arm as they make a playoff push. The Pirates received right-handed pitching prospect Jeter Martinez.

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AP Baseball Writers Jay Cohen and Mike Fitzpatrick, and AP Sports Writers Will Graves, Ben Nuckols and Greg Beacham, contributed to this report.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb