Two Mock Trades for the Mariners’ Playoff Push

It is no secret that the Seattle Mariners have lacked offensive production from the shortstop position this season.

After opening the year with veteran J.P. Crawford at the position, Seattle turned to recently extended top prospect Colt Emerson in mid-May in hopes of injecting life into the lineup. Neither player has provided much at the plate, however, as both have produced below-league-average offensive numbers.

Emerson, in particular, has endured a difficult rookie campaign, hitting below the Mendoza line for much of the season. 

History has shown that championship-caliber clubs are often built around stability up the middle, and many of the most successful postseason teams in recent years have featured an impact player at shortstop. As currently constructed, the Mariners don’t fit that mold. If Seattle hopes to establish itself as a perennial American League contender, upgrading the position could become a top priority.

Fortunately for Dipoto and the Mariners, the solution to their shortstop dilemma may be waiting within their own division.

The Angels are having yet another dreadful season in 2026, as they are firmly entrenched within the basement of the American League West. Their poor start to the season cost Perry Minasian his job, paving the way for longtime Cardinals executive John Mozeliak to take over as interim general manager.

With new leadership in place, Anaheim suddenly finds itself at a crossroads, as questions begin to mount about the organization’s long-term direction. 

Among the biggest decisions facing Mozeliak is what to do with star shortstop Zach Neto. At just 25 years old, Neto has established himself as a middle-of-the-order bat equipped with the power and speed combination to go 30/30 in any given season.

However, due to the Halos’ performance and a prospect pool that ranks as one of the most barren in baseball, the organization is forced to ask itself if it will be able to contend before his team control expires in 2030. 

If the Angels decide that the best way to utilize Neto is to sell him for young pieces with greater control, then the Mariners should absolutely explore the opportunity to acquire the young phenom. 

Neto would solve a plethora of problems for the M’s this season, and in seasons to come. On the surface, he would provide the lineup with an elite right-handed bat that is in desperate need of assistance against left-handed pitchers. Currently, the Mariners rank as the second worst offense against lefties in terms of OPS in baseball. Neto, on the other hand, is ripping lefties this season as he carries an .824 OPS against southpaws. 

His arrival would also create a ripple effect throughout the lineup. Rather than asking young hitters like Cole Young to shoulder so much of the offensive burden near the top of the order, Neto would deepen the batting order and allow players to settle into roles better suited to their development.

Moving Young into the bottom third of the lineup would not only lengthen Seattle’s offense but also give the rookie more opportunities to hit in favorable situations.

Beyond what shows up in the box score, Neto’s arrival would provide the Mariners with another valuable asset: time. More specifically, it would give Emerson the opportunity to develop at his own pace.

The top prospect has yet to find his footing at the major league level, but that should come as little surprise. Entrusting a rookie with the everyday shortstop job on a club with World Series aspirations is a difficult assignment for even the most talented prospects.

Rather than forcing Emerson to learn on the fly under the pressure of a pennant race, acquiring Neto would allow Seattle to prioritize his long-term development.

Whether that means giving Emerson additional time to refine his game or transitioning him to third base, the Mariners would gain valuable flexibility. In either scenario, Seattle would be putting one of its cornerstone prospects in a lower-stress situation while simultaneously upgrading the major league roster.

In a world where the Seattle front office decides to be aggressive and fully commit at the trade deadline, Zach Neto would represent a dream acquisition for the Mariners. 

The Return: Emerson Hancock and Korbyn Dickerson

It should be to nobody’s surprise that the Angels would likely seek out prospects and young controllable big league talent. One of the most prolific names heard around the rumor mill in Major League Baseball is the talented right-hander Emerson Hancock. 

Hancock is experiencing a breakout 2026 campaign, boasting a 3.26 ERA over 20 starts. After adjusting his arm slot to have a lower release point, Hancock has reached new heights in his professional career.

Despite his impressive development, he could be viewed as an expendable trade chip as Seattle searches for an impact bat. The Mariners’ pitching depth, highlighted by Bryan Woo, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryce Miller, and top prospects Ryan Sloan and Kade Anderson, gives the organization the flexibility to move Hancock without significantly weakening its rotation. 

On the other side of the aisle, acquiring the 27-year-old right-hander would be a huge addition to the revamped Angels pitching infrastructure that new pitching coach Mike Maddux is attempting to implement throughout the organization. Hancock would immediately provide the Angels with a reliable presence near the top of their rotation while offering the organization control through the 2031 season. 

The Robin to Hancock’s Batman in this mock trade comes in the form of Seattle’s outfield prospect Korbyn Dickerson. Last year’s fifth-round selection for the M’s has had a strong start to his professional career to this point.

In 2026, the 22-year-old has reached High-A after starting the season in Low-A and has put together an .823 OPS cumulatively and seems to be progressing nicely through the lower levels of the minor leagues. 

If Los Angeles chooses to enter a rebuild at this coming deadline after years of mediocrity, they should be targeting young controllable assets like Hancock and promising young prospects like Dickerson to fill out their farm system. 

Mariners Trade for Luke Weaver

In a world where the Seattle front office chooses a more cautious approach to the deadline and looks to make smaller roster improvements without sacrificing significant young talent, a call to the Mets regarding Luke Weaver would still make a great deal of sense. 

Following a disappointing 2023 campaign, Weaver reinvented himself by transitioning into a full-time bullpen role with the New York Yankees. The move proved to be a turning point for his career, as Weaver saw an immediate tick up in his pitch mix and effectiveness on the bump.

Over the next two seasons, Weaver emerged in the Bronx as one of baseball’s most reliable leverage relievers, operating as a fireman for the Bombers in high-stress situations. 

His success earned him a two-year contract this past offseason with the Yankees’ crosstown rivals, the New York Mets.

Since arriving in Queens, Weaver has continued to deliver, operating as one of the few consistent pieces in a Mets pitching staff that has endured an incredibly turbulent 2026 season. His reliability and late-inning experience have made him one of the more attractive trade chips available as the deadline approaches and the Mets seem to have made him available. 

Weaver is the perfect soft buy candidate for the Mariners. Despite being highly sought after at the deadline by contenders, veteran relievers often cost very little in terms of trade returns in contrast to starting pitching or an impact position player. 

On top of not requiring Seattle to surrender significant assets in a trade, acquiring Weaver would allow the Mariners to build upon one of their greatest strengths. Seattle currently boasts one of the best bullpens in baseball, and adding an experienced arm like Weaver would give them a true super-pen capable of shortening games throughout the final stretch of the season and into the postseason. 

Weaver may not be the headline-grabbing acquisition Mariners fans dream about, but his ability to dominate in high-leverage situations could make him one of the most valuable additions Seattle makes this deadline.

The Return: Lazaro Montes and Casey Hintz

The highest payroll in baseball has not been able to save the Mets from an incredibly underwhelming 2026. After general manager David Stearns made a flurry of moves throughout last offseason, Mets fans hoped that a return to contention was in the cards for this season. Unfortunately for those fans, their optimism has not translated into results on the field. 

These poor results have led to the Metropolitans being categorized as sellers at the August 3 deadline, as they have evidently placed several assets on the trade block, including Weaver. 

If New York moves the veteran reliever, the front office should prioritize replenishing a farm system that has lost some of its previous depth due to prospect graduations and recent struggles from highly regarded prospects.

The graduation of top prospects such as Nolan McLean, AJ Ewing, and Carson Benge has created a need for another influx of talent, while down years from players like Jonah Tong and Jacob Reimer have only increased that urgency. A potential return centered around Lazaro Montes and Casey Hintz could provide the type of high-upside talent needed to help revitalize the Mets’ pipeline.

Lazaro Montes has long been famous in prospect circles as his elite level of power has excited prospect evaluators since he signed in 2022 with the Mariners. As Montes has climbed through the minor leagues, he has developed into a true three-outcome threat at the plate, combining immense raw power with improving plate discipline despite a great deal of swing and miss remaining in his game.

The smooth-swinging prospect has primarily transitioned to first base due to questions surrounding his defensive value in the outfield, placing even more importance on his offensive impact.

For the Mets, acquiring Montes would mean adding a high-ceiling offensive prospect with legitimate 40-plus home run potential who has already reached Triple-A. His proximity to the majors makes him even more appealing for a franchise that likely views itself as being in a retooling phase rather than committing to a full rebuild.

The supplemental piece that would be shipped back to Queens in this mock trade would be right-hander Casey Hintz, a 16th-round pick by Seattle in last year’s entry draft out of the University of Arizona.

After having success at school in a reliever role, the Mariners sent him to the bullpen of their High-A affiliate, the Everett Aquasox, for the 2026 season. There he has succeeded at a reasonable level, posting a sub-4.00 ERA through 27 appearances. 

Hintz’s most intriguing trait is his unique sidearm delivery, which creates an unconventional angle that can be difficult for hitters to pick up when he comes out of the pen. While he remains a developmental project, his unusual arm slot and effective pitch mix make Hintz a lottery ticket who could eventually develop into a valuable leverage reliever at the major league level for the Mets.