Hold the plane! Seattle's midnight scheme to bring Geno (and family) home

SEATTLE -- As the Mariners’ team charter sat on the tarmac at Sacramento International Airport (SMF), the hour creeping past midnight into Thursday as nearly 45 minutes passed, virtually everyone on board wondered: Why the delay?

News had already spread like wildfire that Eugenio Suárez was returning to the Mariners in a blockbuster Trade Deadline deal, which, even after a deflating loss to the A’s, lifted clubhouse spirits.

A fateful alignment on the MLB schedule -- with Suárez’s Diamondbacks touching down earlier Thursday with an upcoming series vs. the A’s, and the Mariners on their way out of town -- allowed for Seattle’s traveling staff to pull off a logistical rush that turned into a ruse.

And how they did it was almost as fabled as Suárez’s return to the organization where he became a clubhouse and fan favorite.

“It means a lot,” Suárez said on Thursday, donning Mariners gear again at T-Mobile Park. “I never thought it was going to happen.”

The surprise itself
As some fired up Netflix and others drifted to sleep, a late -- and loud -- addition emerged at the front of the aircraft, which erupted when they realized what was happening.

Suárez then meandered down the aisle and hugged every single person, including his not-so-new teammates, clubhouse staff, coaches and even media.

“It was just a great moment, I think, for him,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “Baseball is about relationships. It's about the teams you play on, the teammates that you have, and anytime you get reunited with that, it's a special feeling. And that's what it felt like on the plane last night. It was a very cool moment for all of us.”

Going from commercial to private
Suárez had flown separately from the Diamondbacks to Sacramento from Detroit, where they’d just played the Tigers -- and with a connection -- to be with his wife, Génesis, and two daughters. The Diamondbacks had an off-day Thursday, so there was no rush to get there.

It wasn’t until he landed that he learned he’d been traded, back to the team where he spent just two seasons (2022-23) but made such a lasting impression, which showed in the reaction from everyone who witnessed the surprise.

“My wife was so happy,” Suárez said.

The Mariners had different contingencies for Suárez to reach Seattle; flying commercial with Génesis and the girls bright and early on Thursday seemed to be the most logical.

But once it became clear that Suárez would be at SMF at the same time that Seattle’s buses were arriving -- and perhaps poetically, with only four open seats on their 72-seat aircraft -- Mariners vice president of Major League operations Jack Mosimann sprung into action.

Mosimann, who was close with Suárez during his previous Mariners tenure, called the slugger and asked which option he’d prefer?

“I want to come with you guys,” Suárez said.

Easy enough? Not exactly.

The Uber ride to the airport ... from the airport
The Mariners’ charter was housed in a private hanger before takeoff, while Suárez was in the airport’s commercial area -- again, with his wife and little ones, who were running on fumes.

Metaphorically, he was in the same area code but not the same zip code.

So, Suárez took an Uber from the public rideshare area to the airport’s private section, where he still had to be screened by security. Mosimann also had to reach out to the Mariners’ representatives at Delta to let them know, because despite the seamlessness of big league travel, you still can’t just add four friends to a flight without proper paperwork.

Those reps, however, were among the only people who knew about the surprise.

The luggage logistics
Mosimann’s counterpart with the D-backs had pulled Suárez’s personal effects from Arizona’s plane and left them at the front desk of the team hotel -- the same one that the Mariners stayed at -- instead of sending them to his room, to prepare for the slim possibility that Suárez might be able to join the Mariners’ flight back.

Meanwhile, at Sutter Health Park, the Diamondbacks’ baseball equipment arrived in the seventh inning of the Mariners’ 5-4 loss, which is custom when one team is going in and the other out.

Mosimann coordinated with the D-backs rep and an A’s clubhouse attendant to retrieve Suárez’s separate luggage, which involved the clubbie volunteering to drive his personal car from the ballpark to the hotel, then to the airport. He arrived at the exact same time that Suárez did in his Uber.

“Jack did a really good job making it happen,” Suárez said. “Obviously, it was a special moment to see all my teammates on the plane cheer for me. And it's something that obviously made me feel really good.”

It was a classic encapsulation of industry teamwork among multiple clubs, all trying to navigate the Deadline’s chaos. But the extra effort to pull off Thursday morning’s surprise also speaks to how well Suárez is respected and admired by just about everyone he's crossed paths with.