The Seattle Mariners need offense, and they're willing to trade some established pitching to get it.
Seattle has told teams that it's open to moving right-hander Emerson Hancock before the deadline, sources told Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic, as well as fellow righty Luis Castillo.
The Mariners' abundance of quality starting pitchers is allowing them to explore trading at least one long-tenured member of their staff to find an impact right-handed bat. Seattle is currently rolling out a strong six-man rotation that also includes Bryce Miller, Bryan Woo, Logan Gilbert, and George Kirby.
Any holes in the staff created by trades could be filled by top prospects Kade Anderson or Ryan Sloan, who are rising rapidly toward the majors. Anderson - the third overall pick last summer - owns a 1.36 ERA with 108 strikeouts in 14 starts at Double-A, while Sloan's posted impressive 11.1 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 rates over 62 1/3 innings at the same level.
Hancock, now in his fourth MLB campaign, owns a 3.16 ERA, 3.72 FIP, and 1.00 WHIP along with a career-high 8.3 K/9 rate over 19 starts this season. The 27-year-old could potentially fetch a sizable return for Seattle given he's under team control through 2030.
Castillo will earn $22.75 million in 2027 and also has a $25-million vesting option in 2028. The option would vest if Castillo throws at least 180 innings next year and doesn't sustain an injury that would force him to begin 2028 on the injured list. He's also in the midst of a down year, sporting a career-worst 4.85 ERA and 1.33 WHIP across 19 appearances (16 starts).
However, the 33-year-old comes with plenty of pedigree as a workhorse starter and big-game pitcher. Castillo, who finished fifth in AL Cy Young voting in 2023, owns a lifetime 2.25 ERA and 1.04 WHIP with 24 strikeouts in 28 postseason innings. He's pitched better of late, sporting a 3.75 ERA with 15 strikeouts and only five walks across his last four starts.
The 51-52 Mariners sit two games behind Boston for the last AL wild-card spot entering play Thursday, but they're just a half-game back of Texas for the AL West lead. They're also the only AL West team that currently owns a positive run differential.
