Clash of needs must make Mariners ponder a trade they've avoided like the plague

For most teams, it's difficult enough to get three quality starters, let alone a rotation full of top-notch arms. The Mariners are one exception and have somehow managed to develop and retain an impressive cast of homegrown talent. Despite Bryce Miller's oblique strain preventing him from making his first start of the season, Emerson Hancock has risen to the occasion, posting a 2.86 ERA over 34.2 innings in his stead.

This is great news in the interim but what will happen once Miller returns? He has looked great in his rehab assignment so far and a return to the big league rotation is seemingly inevitable within the next few weeks. To complicate matters, Kade Anderson's professional career is off to an even hotter start than expected, creating a good but very real issue for Seattle: Will having too many good starters force the team to make a trade?

With too many starters and not enough rotation spots, the Mariners may have to trade away some depth

Originally, the idea would've been that upon Miller's return, Emerson Hancock, who has one more option remaining, would be sent back down to Triple-A Tacoma. But given his aforementioned breakout, he now seems too good to languish in the minors. Interestingly enough, based on numbers for this season alone, the two pitchers who arguably cede their spots are Logan Gilbert and Luis Castillo.

Of these two options, Gilbert is the only one who can be optioned, but that doesn't make the decision much easier. His numbers aren't as great as fans have come to expect but his peripherals still seem solid. His whiff (30.5) and walk (5.1) rates are in the top quartile of qualified pitchers and he's still striking out 25.7 percent of the batters he's facing. His FIP of 3.01 suggests that he still has what it takes and since he's the second-highest paid pitcher according to Cot's Contracts, it would be a shock to see him demoted.

On the other hand, Castillo's case to remain is far less compelling. His peripherals aren't nearly as good as Gilbert's and he profiles far closer to an average pitcher. His fastball velocity is in line with what it has been over the past few years, but is still quite a bit slower than when he first arrived in Seattle. However, given his service time, the Mariners would be forced to designate him for assignment if they wanted to move him to the minors, a preposterous move that could even get declined in favor of free agency.

A backup plan for the organization could be to strike a trade but that comes with plenty of its own caveats while also raising a whole new set of questions. Who would they trade away? Who would they target? What positions are in need of a boost? Will teams even be willing to discuss trading away impact players before they're certain of their ability to contend? There is a remote possibility of a trade with the Astros, but while Houston does badly need starting pitch help, an intradivisional deal in the first two months of the season seems outlandish.

For years, Seattle has fended off rabid suitors eager for a chance to acquire any of their starters. Because the team has been on a steady upward trajectory, they've opted to buy rather than sell at each year's deadline. But this season may be the first where they finally give the market what it wants despite being a legitimate contender.

It's not an ideal situation but if the team has to make a deal, having too much of a good thing is the best reason one could ask for.

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