The Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline is nearing its arrival, and what moves the Seattle Mariners make could end up defining what success they've had this season.

The Mariners, due to injuries and inconsistencies, have not looked like the American League contender many thought they would be coming off their American League Championship Series berth in 2025.

Entering its off day Thursday, Seattle is 51-52 and a half-game behind the Texas Rangers for first place in the American League West. The two sides will play in a four-game series at the Rangers' home turf of Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Game one of the series will take place at 5:05 p.m. PT on Friday.

If the Mariners win or sweep the series, they'll be in control of the division with three more road games on the slate of their current trip, which are set to take place against the two-time defending World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers. A series split would keep Seattle at its current position and a series loss would give Texas a multi-game lead.

In short, this is as close to must-win as possible for the Mariners. And if they are able to get through the series and into the deadline with the lead or still within a hair's width of first place of the division, they will be looking to improve in the trade market.

Seattle's needs have been well-reported on for months: bullpen help, and a right-handed hitter who specializes against lefties, particularly one who could play the outfield.

The Mariners have two areas of surplus in which they could deal from: their farm system, which includes six top 100 prospects (per MLB Pipeline), or their starting pitching, which currently has six hurlers on the major league rotation.

Based on a recent report, Seattle seems willing to deal from the latter.

According to an article written by Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon, the Mariners have told teams they're open to trading right-handed starter Emerson Hancock.

Hancock is in the midst of a career-best season. He was on the Opening Day roster for a third-straight season filling in for an injured member of Seattle's typical rotation, but has maintained a spot in the majors due to his form.

The former first-round draft pick has posted a 3.16 ERA this year and has struck out 97 batters in 105.1 innings pitched across 19 starts. He recently secured his 10th quality start of the season in the M's 5-3 loss against the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday.

From a performance perspective, the player the Mariners would likely prefer to deal is Luis Castillo. He's in the midst of his age-33 season, is making over $45.5 million combined this season and next and has a 4.85 ERA, which would be the worst in his career. His previous career-worst mark was a 4.30 ERA with the Reds in 2018, his second season in the majors.

Hancock, however, is 27-years-old, under team control through 2030 and is making just under $800,000 this season, which makes him a more desirable acquisition for interested teams.

A deal centered around Hancock, plus a prospect or two (although likely not on the high-end of the team's farm rankings), could be enough to push Seattle to getting the bullpen and/or right-handed hitting help the organization needs.

Two names the Mariners have been linked two as potential acquisition targets are Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki and San Diego Padres reliever Mason Miller.

The Cubs' starting pitcher ERA (4.42) ranks 19th in the major leagues and 10th in the National League whereas the Padres' (4.69) ranks 27th in the majors and 13th in the NL.

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