Insider's intel on Mariners' trade deadline ambitions couldn't come at worst time for Royals

The Kansas City Royals are in a different situation than many sellers at this deadline, because they're only sellers to a certain degree. Sure, the 2026 season may be lost, but with a name like Bobby Witt Jr. leading the charge alongside fellow All-Star Maikel Garcia and young rising talents like Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen, there's a lot to like about the core in the immediate future. This makes J.J. Picollo's desire to go out and get MLB ready or near-MLB ready talent at the deadline make all the more sense.

One glaring area of need for them in 2027 and beyond is starting pitching. Through injury, aging and potential free agent losses, their starting staff is looking rather vulnerable at the moment. This what makes teams like the Seattle Mariners and their wealth of starting pitching an intriguing potential trade partner - especially with the reported availability of young starter Emerson Hancock.

Last week, Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic reported that the Mariners are "open to moving" Hancock. With a 3.16 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and .208 BAA this season on top of being under team control through 2030, he'll surely be an intriguing trade asset on the market ahead of the deadline.

ESPN's Jeff Passan weighed in this week on the report of Hancock's availability and even went further saying that he expects Hancock to be traded by the deadline. It was his insight into what the Mariners might be looking for that should make Royals fans uneasy about their chances of landing someone like Hancock for the rotation.

"The Mariners would like to use a starting pitcher to go out and get a bat," Passan said. "Preferably a right-handed hitting bat."

The Royals are in a difficult predicament here. They do have a trendier right-handed bat on the trade market right now in Lane Thomas, who has certainly been showing out in the last few weeks with an .852 OPS and 132 wRC+ in the month of July, but he isn't the type of bat that would move the needle to the degree that Seattle would need to trade a controllable talent like Hancock.

Then, there's the matter of the Royals' best big league trade chips to offer a contending hopeful like the Mariners in Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo. Not only are they names Kansas City is reluctant to move off at the deadline, but they're at the exact position Seattle wants to deal from in order to improve their lineup.

Looking at the prospect route, while the Royals do have expendable prospects, names like Blake Mitchell probably wouldn't have much value to the Mariners who with Cal Raleigh at the helm behind the dish aren't exactly in the market for catching. And the rest of their farm system has unique quirks that some might shy away from, specifically how young the top-tier of their system is. After being one win away from the World Series in 2026, Seattle seems like a team looking for sure things, and teenaged talent is the furthest thing from that.

Could Mariners provide any trade solutions for Royals' starting pitching issues?

To make a long story short, it's hard to see a path forward for a trade here. Never say never, but in the grand scheme of things, while Seattle might have what the Royals are looking for a degree, the Royals' competitive ambitions in 2027 make it hard to see a path forward.

Beyond Hancock, Passan brought up another starter in Luis Castillo, but he also referenced his over $22 million salary being a hinderance. Pair his contract with that his 5.06 ERA and 1.39 WHIP and the veteran looks to be going in the wrong direction at 33-years-old. All this makes him a seemingly unwise decision for a small market team looking to get better like the Royals are.

Starting pitching could very well be on the table for the Royals at the trade deadline, but perhaps they'll have to look elsewhere. There are surely teams that will want what Kansas City has to offer, it just doesn't seem like the Mariners fit the mold of that team.

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