Mariner Cole Wilcox’s Unexpected Strategy Could Change His Career Trajectory Forever

Now sharing a big-league bullpen instead of a college rotation, their connection embodies more than just baseball choreography; it’s a testament to enduring friendship and professional growth. Perhaps soon, Wilcox will earn a fitting moniker to complement Hancock’s “Mayor” nickname—maybe “The Marshal”—as they steer through the ups and downs of a demanding major league campaign.

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The Mariners made their first in-season roster move today, placing RHP Carlos Vargas on the 15-day IL with a lat strain and recalling RHP Cole Wilcox from Tacoma.

In December 2020, the Padres acquired Blake Snell from the Rays in a high-profile trade that sent highly-ranked prospect Luis Patiño, catchers Francisco Mejia and Blake Hunt, and 2020 third-rounder righty Cole Wilcox to the Rays in exchange for Snell. The Mariners are now halfway to acquiring all of the players from that trade in some form (Hunt spent time with the organization in 2024 and 2025), acquiring Wilcox—who was the last remaining member of that trade in Tampa Bay’s organization—from the Rays this off-season for cash. For Wilcox, who never threw a professional pitch for San Diego, Tampa Bay was the only organization he’d ever known.