Lazaro Montes coming to life could be trade deadline game-changer for Mariners

Lazaro Montes' calling card is his power hitting, to the extent he's twice been named Mariners Minor League Hitter of the Year. Now, as the M's jump from one disaster to another and struggle to live up to preseason predictions as a World Series contender, their No. 4 prospect could hold the key to these ambitions.

Montes was cold to start his season in Double-A Arkansas, batting just .212 and with only one home run through 20 games. This was extremely discouraging for a prospect whose reputation is built around his ability to hit the ball, albeit with the consolation that he did still manage to produce some offense with 11 RBI in those games.

Fortunately for everyone concerned within the Mariners organization, Montes seems to have finally resurrected his bat, and not a moment too soon. He's batting .333 in the last six games with six home runs and 12 RBI, including three blasts and a career-high eight ribbies on Saturday afternoon at Equity Bank Park in Wichita:

Obviously you love to see it and for plenty of people, this recent outburst represents a return to form for a hitter who finished tied-third in the minors last season with 32 home runs. However, when you add in Montes' inconsistency at the plate last season after he was promoted to Double-A for the first time, there's enough volatility there to think about potentially selling high if the deal is right.

As with Harry Ford, Lazaro Montes is the most enticing prospect the Mariners will be prepared to move

The reality is that the only way Montes can likely impact the Mariners' Major League roster this season is via a trade. And with how things are going for the M's at the moment, they're probably going to need another bat and/or a leverage reliever, with both tending to be valuable commodities at the trade deadline.

We know Colt Emerson and Kade Anderson are untouchable, while Ryan Sloan should be as well. This leaves Montes as the most enticing prospect to persuade another club to do business with the M's. And as much as the organization would prefer not to move him, this is about making the most of this window of opportunity to finally claim that elusive World Series berth.

No matter any concern about Montes' consistency at the plate, we're still talking about a power hitter who's ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 37 prospect in all of baseball. And it's not as if he hasn't come up in trade talks in the past.

As per Katie Woo of The Athletic, Montes was one of the players discussed when the Mariners were involved in their extended negotiations with the Cardinals for Brendan Donovan throughout the winter. Similar to Harry Ford, it would be tough to see the 21-year-old leave the organization, but the M's need help this season and he's not going to provide it on the field in Seattle.

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