See it as a round two of New York bidding wars. Remember when the cross-town rivals got in a serious tug-of-war for Juan Soto? This is just round two of the same level of heat with a different face in the spotlight. The trade deadline is less than a fortnight away, and both the Mets and the Yankees are eyeing one power-hitting third baseman. It’s the Arizona Diamondbacks phenom who is arguably one of the top targets this deadline.

During the last off-season, when Juan Soto left the Bronx for Queens, the Yankees had to hurriedly rebuild their roster without Soto’s explosive bat in the mix.

A sea of headlines followed for months, and controversies around Soto’s move knew no bounds. Yet, the Yankees moved on quickly. They inked Max Fried and added veterans like Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger.

And here we go once again! It’s the round two of the rivalry where both teams are eyeing the same prize, as per SNY’s John Harper. Eugenio Suarez—the star third baseman of the D-Backs will be the most sought-after target on July 31. He’s currently hitting .250 with 31 home runs and 78 RBIs.

For the Mets, if Mark Vientos keeps up with the team’s expectations by hitting well for the next few weeks, just like when he did during the weekend against the Royals, then the Mets won’t be in an urgent need to upgrade.

On the other hand, the Yankees are evidently in a glaring need to fix their offense. With Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s move to second, the duo of Oswald Peraza and Jorbit Vivas isn’t producing the way the Yankees expected. That being the case, GM Brian Cashman is seemingly exploring the way to pluck another club’s third baseman.

It’s also important to note that the Mets have a better farm system than the Yankees. So, that gives Stearns an edge to crack the deal with the Diamondbacks. However, there is still another catch with Eugenio Suarez, which both the teams should not underestimate.

While Yankees and Mets eye on Suarez, he’s interested in another club

It’s no surprise that the Diamondbacks, who are under .500 and over 5 games out of the third NL Wild Card spot, are expected to be sellers at this deadline. That means their power-hitting third baseman Eugenio Suarez is likely to find a new home.

And guess what? While the Mets and the Yankees are eyeing Suarez, he already knows where he wants to play. Just so you know, Suarez is on a historic tear lately. Back in April, he etched his name in MLB history for being the 19th player to hit four home runs in one game.

“To finish where everything started, it would be cool,” Suárez one day before the 2025 MLB All-Star Game.  “It would mean a lot to me.”

You might be unaware, but around 17 years ago, the Tigers signed Suarez for a massive $10,000 bonus back in 2008. It was a vividly international signing period that time, and the Venezuelan star had climbed through the minor leagues. He made his debut for the Detroit Tigers in June 2014 at Comerica Park.

During his recent media availability, Suarez also compared the Tigers back then and the Tigers now. “Since I was there, it’s been a lot different.” He added, “It’s a new team with a lot of young guys and a lot of talent. I think they have a really good chance to make it more than the playoffs this year.”

Suarez believes that the odds are high of the Tigers clinching the world series title. It kind of makes sense why he would want to land there! What do you think?