Seattle Mariners: Rumors Seattle May Acquire Jason Hammel?

According to Chicago Sun-Times writer Gordon Wittenmyer, one major-league source said he expects Chicago Cubs right-handed pitcher Jason Hammel to end up in Seattle.

Since Seattle has the chance to compete in both the American League West and for an AL Wild Card spot, it makes sense that the Mariners would want to move sooner rather than later to improve their team.

The Mariners do have a few prospects they could afford to offer Chicago for the right hander. They have left-hander  James Paxton who is near the major league level.

Paxton features a plus fastball but has struggled with his change-up and his overall command which is why he isn’t in the majors quite yet.

Looking deeper in the system are high ceiling guys like RHP Edwin Diaz and OF Gabriel Guerrero who could be thrown in the deal as well.

Wittenmyer reports that the problem is Seattle isn’t the only team interested in Hammel at this moment.

Both the Atlanta Braves and the Toronto Blue Jays have also expressed interest in him as well. The Blue Jays and Braves both have more to offer in their farm systems, but Seattle has reportedly been the most active in the pursuit for the big 6’6 Hammel.

At the age of 31, he has put up some decent numbers so far with a 6-4 record, struck out 76 batters, and has a very impressive 0.98 WHIP.

It is exciting enough that Seattle is being so active in mid-season upgrades not to mention they have a chance to land a big right-handed pitcher with established talent at the big-league level. The Mariners could use some more “pop”, to their lineup, but the market right now has more pitching available and not much hitting.

Hammel has looked much more comfortable on the mound this season, and with his current one-year contract, he is a risk to trade for since he may not want to re-sign if traded.