A NY Mets-Mariners trade idea involving Brett Baty but not Luis Castillo

The New York Mets should look to try and get what they can out of Brett Baty. A former first-round pick in 2019 and top prospect, Baty has not lived up to his potential, as he’s hit just .215/.282/.325 with a .270 wOBA and 72 wRC+ in 602 plate appearances. Baty has walked in 7.8% of his plate appearances with a 26.4% K%. His defense at the hot corner has also been poor, with -9 defensive runs saved and -3 outs above average.

But MLB Trade Rumors recently listed the Seattle Mariners as a potential landing spot in a Brett Baty trade. The M’s have a severe lack of third base depth. Utility man Dylan Moore is atop their depth chart at third base, but he’s best served playing multiple positions. The two teams could make a swap of struggling former top prospects.

That former top prospect from the M’s is right-handed pitcher Emerson Hancock. Hancock was drafted a year after Baty in the first round and quickly became a top-50 prospect in baseball. However, he hasn’t looked like the ace he was once projected to be. Hancock has pitched 72.2 innings in the big leagues, working to a poor 4.71 ERA, 5.42 FIP, and 1.33 WHIP. Although he carries a solid 7.1% walk rate, he has struck out a meager 14.3% of opponents and has a HR/9 of 1.61.

Hancock’s numbers at Triple-A were better, as he had a 3.43 ERA, albeit with a 5.08 FIP and 1.29 WHIP in 94 innings. The right-hander still struggled to strike batters out with a 16.4% K% but walked more opponents on average with a 9.4% BB%. He has also been far less home run prone as well with a 0.95 HR/9. Keep in mind that Hancock played in the extremely hitter Pacific Coast League, where the average ERA was over 5.00.

The Mariners and Mets should make this swap of former top prospects.

Hancock has pitched less than 100 innings in the Major Leagues but could do a lot better in a relief role. When facing opponents the first time through the order, Hancock holds opponents to a .238/.299/.278 line. The second time through the order, opponents batted .264/.349/.473. In instances where he is able to face opponents a third time, Hancock gets knocked around the yard to the tune of a .333/.359/.765 triple-slash. 

His stuff could definitely use the boost pitching in short stints as well. Stuff+ pinned Hancock at just an 86 (100 is average). He averages out around 93-94 MPH with his four-seam fastball. Hancock also has a sinker that sits in a similar velocity range but with more horizontal break. His primary breaking pitch is a slider, and he’ll also utilize a change-up. 

Baty and Hancock are similar ages. The former is entering his age-25 campaign, while the latter is going into his age-26 season. They’re also formerly ranked among some of the best prospects in baseball just a few years ago, but neither have been able to live up to that promise and have struggled thus far in their Major League careers. With the Mets needing bullpen depth and the Mariners needing third base depth, the two teams make sense in this one-for-one trade.