A Cardinals-Mariners trade that benefits both teams

As of the All-Star break, both the St. Louis Cardinals and Seattle Mariners are in the playoffs. The Mariners hold a one-game lead on the Houston Astros in the American League West while the Cardinals are in sole possession of the second National League Wild Card spot.

These two teams reached these destinations in very different ways, though. The Mariners are riding one of the best rotations in baseball; the Cardinals are doing it in a variety of ways, primarily thanks to their bullpen. Seattle has pitching depth out of the wazoo, and the Cardinals are about to have logjams at most positions on the diamond once all players return to full health.

These two are logical trade partners; they've worked together in the past when St. Louis traded awayMarco Gonzales and received Tyler O'Neill. Jerry Dipoto, Seattle's general manager, is known for being quite active in the trade department, and his team's clear need for offense this year may force his hand.

Chad Jennings of The Athletic (subscription required) identified teams that are definite buyers and sellers most recently; he dubbed the Mariners are necessary buyers and the Cardinals as likely buyers. On the Mariners, Jennings wrote that Seattle needs an offensive boost, and he identified a pitching prospect the organization could part with to fill that need. That pitcher is 25-year-old right hander Emerson Hancock.

What Hancock lacks in stuff he more than makes up for in command. His walk rate across the minors has never exceeded 9.2%, and he has limited home runs at an extraordinary rate. He features a four-pitch mix with a sinker, four-seam fastball, changeup, and slider. His fastball has lost some zip on it over the years, but his slider has become much more effective since he reverted back to his three-quarter arm slot. Injuries were the story of Hancock's early minor league career, and this year he's performed shy of his projections.

In 9 starts at the major league level this year, Hancock has a 4.76 ERA, 5.41 FIP, and he's only struck out 5.6 batters per nine innings. At Triple-A, he's fared better with a 2.49 ERA, 4.49 FIP, and a 7.06 Ks/9 rate. Hancock has ranked as highly as 82nd overall according to MLB Pipeline among all prospects back in 2022.

I will say, these trades where both teams benefit don't happen too often at the deadline, but the Cardinals (see Jordan Montgomery for Harrison Bader) and Mariners (see Luis Castillo for Noelvi Marte) are known for these types of transactions at the deadline still.

St. Louis's offense has actually been the weakest point of the team thus far, but Willson Contreras and Lars Nootbaar recently returned from injuries, and Tommy Edman is working his way back as well. The team will have its depth restored in short order. This will allow them to trade from their MLB depth or their prospect depth, particularly up the middle.

The Cardinals will receive a pitcher who can slot into the bottom of their rotation here immediately, and the Mariners will snag a middle infielder with ample versatility. Third base and second base are where Seattle needs the most help, and Thomas Saggese has logged plenty of innings at both spots.

Saggese has shown a strong ability to hit at the highest levels of the minors, and his defense has received positive reviews, especially from second base. He's slashing .246/.305/.415 with 10 home runs this year at Triple-A Memphis, but he had a 168 wRC+ last year at Double-A for Texas and St. Louis, so the ability to hit is clearly within his DNA.

This is a trade where both the Mariners and Cardinals could benefit. Each player has comparable team control, and each player fills a vital need for the other organization. I don't expect the Mariners and Cardinals to make this trade during the regular season, but desperation has led teams to do wild things in the past.