The Seattle Mariners reportedly “will at least listen on Emerson Hancock”,reports Adam Jude, Mariners beat writer for the Seattle Times. Hancock (age 27) has posted a 2.4 WAR with a 6-4 record, 3.16 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 105.1 innings pitched for Seattle so far in the 2026 season.
He’s entering his fourth year in the league, in which this has arguably been his best season up to date. In 2025 Emerson struggled posting a 4.90 ERA, which was a career high for him. The Mariners selected Hancock in the first round (6th) overall in the 2020 MLB Draft out of the University of Georgia.
Hancock throws a mid 90’s fastball, averaging 95 mph, along with a sinker, sweeper, cutter, change up, and curveball, according to Baseball Savant. Emerson is great at limiting walks, with just a 6.3 percent walk rate in 2026, according to Baseball Savant. However, he has given up some hard contact this year, with an average exit velocity of 89.9 mph against him, placing him in the bottom 26th percentile, per Baseball Savant.
Mariners Open To Move Young Starting Pitchers In Right Deal
Jude also adds in his reporting that Seattle “isn’t inclined to trade away any of their young established starters, including Bryan Woo, George Kirby, Bryce Miller, and Logan Gilbert”, states Jude. Jude does add however that Seattle would “prefer” to trade right hander Luis Castillo, and that despite his struggles during the 2026 campaign, Jude mentions how he’s posted a “3.35 ERA in his last nine starts”, states Jude.
The Mariners also have young pitching talent down in the farm system, which includes Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan, but Jude reports Seattle “won’t entertain offers on either of them”, says Jude. This conversation as it relates to starting pitching is interesting from Seattle’s perspective because Jude talks about how Seattle views themselves in “win now” mode, and that the padres are looking for young controllable starting pitching in a potential Mason Miller trade, which would hypothetically make Seattle one of the more ideal trade partners if a deal were to happen.
The Mason Miller Hype Is Real
There’s also the Yankees and other teams with young controllable starting pitching that have taken an interest in Miller. However, nobody knows whether the Padres are definitely sellers as of yet, considering their current standings being 4 games back of a wild card spot currently.
The fact that the Mariners are open to listening on several big young names in their rotation points to the possibility of a significant trade being done at the deadline, even if that name isn’t Padres star closer Mason Miller. It will certainly be something to follow over the next few weeks as we approach the trade deadline, in what many could argue is a wide open American League with many teams technically still in the race for a potential playoff berth.
The Mariners have a 51-52 record currently in the AL West and only trail the Texas Rangers by 0.5 games of first place in their division. Because of this, GM Jerry Dipoto likely sees the open window, as do many AL teams, to possibly be aggressive buyers at this years deadline as they chase an AL pennant and possibly a World Series Championship in 2026.
Mariners Open To Listening On Offers For Emerson Hancock