Could Emerson Hancock Require Another Three-Team Deal?
THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE
Could Emerson Hancock Require Another Three-Team Deal?
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
If the Cardinals are serious about reshaping their rotation without simply chasing short-term fixes, Emerson Hancock is exactly the kind of name that should at least be part of the conversation.
Not because he is the biggest name on the market.
Not because he would create a headline that shakes the deadline.
But because he fits.
Hancock is 27 years old, under club control through 2030, and in the middle of a strong season with the Seattle Mariners. Through 19 starts, he has posted a 3.16 ERA and a 1.006 WHIP, giving Seattle reliable innings while also making him one of the more interesting controllable arms potentially available.
For the Cardinals, that matters.
This organization does not need another short-term patch. It needs starting pitchers who can fit into the 2027, 2028 and 2029 picture. It needs arms who can take the ball, cover innings, and give the club some stability as it attempts to build something that lasts beyond the next homestand.
That is why Hancock makes sense.
The problem is not the fit.
The problem is the cost.
Seattle is not expected to move Hancock just to move him. The Mariners are trying to win, and if they subtract from their rotation, they are going to want something that helps their big-league club immediately.
According to recent reports, Seattle’s preference in any Hancock deal would be an impactful right-handed bat.
That is where things get complicated for St. Louis.
The Cardinals do have right-handed bats, but the names Seattle would likely ask about are not the kind of players St. Louis should be eager to move.
Jordan Walker should not be in that conversation.
Iván Herrera should not be in that conversation.
Blaze Jordan should not be treated like a casual throw-in just because he is still trying to establish himself.
If the Cardinals are trying to build a younger, more sustainable core, moving one of those bats to land Hancock may solve one problem while creating another.
That is why a straight two-team trade may not be the cleanest path.
A three-team deal might be.
The Cardinals and Mariners already have recent history in that department. Earlier this year, St. Louis sent Brendan Donovan to Seattle in a three-team trade that also involved Tampa Bay. In return, the Cardinals added Jurrangelo Cijntje, Tai Peete, Colton Ledbetter and two Competitive Balance Round B draft selections.
That deal did more than move Donovan.
It showed that these front offices can work through a layered trade structure. It also showed that the Cardinals were willing to get creative if the end result helped reshape the farm system and future roster.
A Hancock deal could require the same kind of creativity.
The simplest version would look something like this: the Cardinals move a desirable asset to a third club, that club sends the right-handed bat Seattle wants, and Hancock ends up in St. Louis.
Easy to write.
Much harder to execute.
Three-team deals are complicated because every club has to feel like it addressed its own need. Seattle would need the bat. The third team would need to value whatever St. Louis sends out. The Cardinals would need to land Hancock without damaging the very core they are trying to build around.
Still, that may be the kind of deal worth exploring.
If the Cardinals are moving short-term pieces at the deadline, this is the kind of return they should be targeting. Not just lottery tickets. Not just lower-level depth. Not just another arm for the sake of adding an arm.
A controllable starter.
A pitcher who could be part of the next real Cardinals rotation.
That is the difference between selling and building.
The Cardinals should not be interested in tearing things down just to say they tore things down. They should be trying to turn present-day value into future Major League pieces. Hancock would fit that idea.
There are reasons to be cautious.
Hancock is not an ace. He is not a guaranteed front-line starter. His value is tied to command, efficiency, durability and whether his current success can hold over a larger sample. The Cardinals also have to be careful not to overpay just because a pitcher is controllable.
Control matters.
Performance matters more.
But if the price is right, Hancock is a name worth taking seriously.
The Cardinals need rotation stability. Seattle needs offense. A third club might need what St. Louis has to offer.
That is where the three-team possibility becomes interesting.
The Donovan trade proved these clubs can think creatively.
Now the question is whether the Cardinals can do it again.
Because if they are going to move pieces at the deadline, this is the kind of move that makes sense.
Not just selling.
Rebuilding the rotation.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: Emerson Hancock, Seatlle Mariners | Seattle Times