What we’re hearing about potential trade pieces and more intel from around MLB

Posted July 23, 2026 3:27 pm

By Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon

If the Seattle Mariners trade a starting pitcher, the logical assumption is that it would be veteran right-hander Luis Castillo.

Maybe not.

In their search for a right-handed hitter, the Mariners are telling teams they also are open to moving righty Emerson Hancock, according to people briefed on their discussions.

Castillo, 33, is owed the balance of $22.75 million this season, plus another $22.75 million next season in the final guaranteed year of his contract. With the pending lockout threatening to eat into the 2027 season, teams likely are reluctant to take on the additional high-priced year on his contract.

Hancock, 27, is more affordable — earning $793,300 this season — and controllable for four additional seasons through 2030. He also is enjoying a breakout campaign, though his expected ERA in 19 starts is more than a run per nine innings higher than his actual 3.16.

While teams do not necessarily view Emerson as a top-of-the-rotation type, a quality major-league starting pitcher under long-term control should hold considerable value leading to the Aug. 3 trade deadline.

The Mariners are in position to trade a starter because they have six who are healthy. Their depth also includes two top prospects at Double-A, left-hander Kade Anderson and righty Ryan Sloan from York High School in Elmhurst, plus righty Logan Evans, who is expected to return from Tommy John surgery next season.

Hancock, who opened the season in the rotation as a replacement for injured righty Bryce Miller, is not as established as righties Logan Gilbert, George Kirby and Bryan Woo, all of whom the Mariners are unlikely to discuss, sources said. Miller, pitching better than he has at any point in his career and under club control for three additional seasons, falls into the same nearly untouchable category.

The Mariners want to re-balance their roster to add more offense. And in a trade market with few sellers willing to trade for prospects, major leaguer-for-major leaguer exchanges appear likely.

Hancock might end up part of one.

Options for Cubs

The Chicago Cubs, who already have acquired left-hander David Peterson and righty Aaron Civale while trying to patch together their rotation, seemingly would be a team interested in Hancock.

Three Cubs right-handed hitters of varying experience — right fielder Seiya Suzuki, infielder/outfielder Matt Shaw and outfielder Kevin Alcántara — could appeal to the Mariners. But the Cubs, canvassing the entire market for starters, could line up with the Los Angeles Angels for righty José Soriano or lefty Reid Detmers as well.

The Angels, according to a person briefed on their pursuits, are interested in acquiring a young catcher. Owen Ayers, the Cubs’ No. 10 prospect according to The Athletic’s Keith Law, might qualify. Ayers, 25, started the season in High A and is now at Triple A.

Both Soriano and Detmers are under control for two additional seasons. Neither is certain to be traded under interim GM John Mozeliak. And neither comes without questions.

Soriano, 27, had a 0.84 ERA through seven starts, then a 4.90 in his next 14, though he has pitched better of late. He also has undergone two Tommy John surgeries, in Feb. 2020 and June 2021.

Detmers, also 27, is at 120 innings, nearly double the number he threw last season, when the Angels used him solely as a reliever. He had higher totals in 2023 (a career-high 148⅔ in the majors) and ’24 (165⅓ between the majors and minors). But some teams are concerned he might wear down over the final two months, plus another he could pitch in the postseason.

Ballpark push no factor in Rays’ deadline plans

Two government bodies in Florida will vote in August on the Tampa Bay Rays’ proposal for a new $2.3 billion ballpark.

Which raises the question: Will the Rays make a push at the deadline to sway the Hillsborough County Commission and Tampa City Council, both of which agreed to a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding in May, to approve definitive agreements?

The answer is no.

The Rays are indeed giving off the impression of “buying big” if enough quality players are available at the deadline. But with public financing on top of the Rays’ commitment of more than $1.2 billion still uncertain, the team’s economics have not changed.

So, the Rays essentially are proceeding as they normally do — aggressively, but with limited payroll flexibility. The Padres, awaiting league approval of their $3.9 billion sale to a group led by José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones, are in somewhat of a similar business-as-usual position.

According to people familiar with the team’s thinking, Feliciano and Jones have been in communication with Padres executives, a dynamic that could create additional payroll flexibility if San Diego opts to buy at the deadline, though it is unclear how much.

Around the horn

• The Chicago White Sox, facing the loss of catcher Kyle Teel for 8 to 12 weeks, are “working hard” to acquire a catcher, according to a person briefed on their plans.

Teel, out with a high left ankle sprain, told MLB.com he believes his absence might be more like five to eight weeks. Either way, the White Sox would like to acquire an upgrade over Edgar Quero and Drew Romo.

Satisfying that goal will be easier said than done. The catching market is thin, and the Rays, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers are among the other teams seeking help behind the plate.

• The Cincinnati Reds’ Tyler Stephenson, one available catcher, might become an alternative for the Yankees, and other teams are pursuing the Minnesota Twins’ Ryan Jeffers.

Stephenson and Jeffers are both 29, and both potential free agents. Jeffers, who returned July 10 after missing nearly two months with a left hamate bone fracture, has been the superior hitter this season.

In his first six games back, Jeffers went 5-for-21 but with two homers, two doubles and three walks. His OPS for the season is .950, while Stephenson’s is .712. But Stephenson has recovered from a difficult first two months, popping a .928 OPS in his last 27 games entering Thursday.

Even if Stephenson is not quite Jeffers offensively, he still would be an upgrade for the Yankees’ current catching corps, which ranks next-to-last in the majors in wRC+, ahead of only the White Sox.

• The Texas Rangers on Friday night open a four-game series at home against the Mariners that might prove critical in determining their direction.

The Rangers are 2-4 since the break, losing a series in Atlanta and at home against the White Sox. They are practically the definition of a team on the bubble — a .500 club with playoff odds entering Thursday of 50 percent.