Headlines

  • Lance McCullers Jr. Headed For MRI After Experiencing Setback
  • D-backs GM Mike Hazen On Trade Deadline Needs
  • Jacob deGrom To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
  • Yankees To Place Aaron Judge On Injured List
  • Blue Jays Option Alek Manoah
  • Reds Promote Elly De La Cruz
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2023-24 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2024-25 MLB Free Agent List
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Arbitration Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Mariners To Outright Diego Castillo, Promote Bryce Miller

By Steve Adams | May 1, 2023 at 11:58pm CDT

The Mariners are shuffling up their pitching staff. They’re set to select the contract of top pitching prospect Bryce Miller, as first reported by Joe Doyle of Future Star Series, and they’ve also passed right-hander Diego Castillo through waivers and assigned him outright to Triple-A Tacoma, per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times (Twitter link).

With that outright, Castillo is no longer on the 40-man roster. He has the three years of service time needed to reject the assignment in favor of free agency, but he doesn’t yet have five years of service, so rejecting the assignment would mean forfeiting the remainder of this year’s $2.95MM salary. As such, he’s sure to accept an assignment to Tacoma and remain with the organization.

It’s been a swift decline for Castillo, who was one of the top relievers moved at the 2021 deadline, going from Tampa Bay to Seattle in exchange for minor league infielder Austin Shenton and righty JT Chargois. Castillo was quite effective in his first season and a half with the Mariners, pitching to a 3.42 ERA with an above-average 25.5% strikeout rate against a slightly below-average 9.4% walk rate. He held opponents to just a .196 average, yielded only 1.06 HR/9 and kept the ball on the ground at a 48.5% clip.

The 2023 season, however, has been a disaster for the 29-year-old Castillo. In 8 2/3 innings so far, he’s walked as many batters as he’s fanned (seven) and also plunked a hitter. He’s already served up homers to two of the 41 batters he’s faced after surrendering only five in 54 1/3 innings (222 batters faced) a year ago. The 94.2 mph average on his fastball, meanwhile, is down 1.6 mph from last year’s mark of 95.8. Overall, he’s sitting on a 6.23 ERA and has allowed 15 of 41 opponents (.366) to reach base.

Any other team could’ve claimed Castillo, but it’s generally rare for other clubs to claim struggling players of this nature when they have a guaranteed contract of some note. The Mariners could’ve waited to make this move but likely saw Castillo’s struggles as a way to open a 40-man roster spot to accommodate their top pitching prospect. If another club had claimed Castillo, the Mariners would’ve been spared the remaining $2.44MM of this year’s salary, but they’ll instead hope he can round back into form with the Rainiers.

Turning to Miller, he’ll make his big league debut when he takes the mound tomorrow against the A’s. He last pitched on April 25, so he’ll be plenty rested. The 24-year-old has had a rough start to his 2023 season in Double-A, pitching to a 6.41 ERA in 19 2/3 frames, but he entered the year among the top 100 prospects at Baseball America, FanGraphs and MLB.com. He currently ranks 92nd, 89th and 85th, respectively on those three lists.

The handful of shaky outings to begin the year, it seems, won’t dissuade the Mariners from hoping he can follow Logan Gilbert and George Kirby to be the next member of the team’s vaunted farm system to step into the Major League rotation. Seattle has already lost Robbie Ray for the season and has seen Chris Flexen struggle in the fifth spot of the rotation, so it stands to reason that Miller could potentially seize a permanent job, if not tomorrow then certainly at some point this season.

Despite his rocky start to the 2023 season, Miller is seen as a potential mid-rotation starter, thanks in no small part to a heater that sits upper-90s and can bump 100 mph. He pairs that with a slider and changeup, and the former college reliever has improved his command as the Mariners have stretched him back out as a starter.

Miller split the bulk of the 2022 season between High-A and Double-A, logging a combined 3.16 ERA with a 30% strikeout rate and an 8.5% walk rate in 133 2/3 innings. He allowed just 0.67 HR/9 and kept the ball on the ground at a slightly above-average rate. And, given that sizable workload in ’22, there’s little reason to think the Mariners will feel the need to monitor his innings total too aggressively this season.

If Miller were to stick in the big leagues, he’d be on pace to qualify for arbitration as a Super Two player following the 2025 season and reach free agency at the conclusion of the 2029 season. Of course, future optional assignments could alter one or both of those timetables considerably.

Share 0 Retweet 7 Send via email0

Newsstand Seattle Mariners Top Prospect Promotions Transactions Bryce Miller Diego Castillo

D-Backs’ Kristian Robinson Receives Work Visa, Could Soon Play In Minor League Games
Main
Which Players Could White Sox Make Available Closer To The Trade Deadline?
View Comments (29)
newest oldest

Comments

  1. Bnickles127

    1 month ago

    WOW

    3
    Reply
  2. pohle

    1 month ago

    good outright, in the david fletcher vein of underperforming veteran who wouldnt be able to reject the assignment, but also is making too much $ to be claimed by other teams. now seattle has a minor league bullpen arm that has a better shot than most at coming back up and being successful, and bryce miller gets a look at mlb level

    5
    Reply
    • mlb fan

      1 month ago

      It’s getting late early this year.

      4
      Reply
  3. criznit

    1 month ago

    Here is a baseball reference link to the correct Bryce Miller: baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=mil…

    Reply
  4. mlb fan

    1 month ago

    The roller coaster, up and down life of an MLB reliever, riding high last yr and this year you’re outrighted completely off the 40 man roster.

    5
    Reply
  5. Seamaholic

    1 month ago

    Wow, Miller kid skipping AAA and not exactly lighting it up so far in AA either, although obviously a major talent. M’s that desperate for immediate help?

    2
    Reply
    • xcfan

      1 month ago

      They could have went with Hancock or Woo from AA, similarly high talent players who have had better success than Miller of late. The only thing Miller has on them is that he threw more innings last year.

      2
      Reply
      • Stevil

        1 month ago

        Worth noting that Divish suggested scouts he spoke with weren’t concerned with his stuff, that he may have just been working on specific pitches.

        He had a solid spring as well, for what it’s worth.

        4
        Reply
        • pohle

          1 month ago

          well see hancock sooner rather than later if he is doing decently, his timer on rV eligibility is the end of this season and the mariners clearly could use some extra innings, with ray out and flexen showing regression.

          1
          Reply
      • lamars

        1 month ago

        Hancock hasn’t fared much better. Pitching to an ERA of 5.40+ and WHIP 1.47 in AA.

        Reply
  6. M'sHacker

    1 month ago

    Never liked Castillo. Would have liked to keep Shenton.

    1
    Reply
    • DCartrow

      1 month ago

      Shant be shuntin’ Shenten.

      2
      Reply
    • jamaicajan

      1 month ago

      Agree.

      1
      Reply
    • HBan22

      1 month ago

      Shenton has sucked ever since the Mariners traded him.

      Reply
  7. Dogham

    1 month ago

    Diego Castillo really hit that wall going about 160mph. Hopefully he can get it worked out in some more non high leverage situations.

    1
    Reply
  8. Stevil

    1 month ago

    I thought Woo might have leapfrogged Miller and Hancock, but seeing one of those three has been widely expected. Miller had a rough start to the year, but was great in his last outing.

    I wouldn’t be surprised if O’Brien has his contract selected as well, with Ray being transferred to the 60, but we’ll see.

    1
    Reply
  9. lee cousins

    1 month ago

    I will take a pitch at this, and hope like Castillo a strike can be delivered. Castillo never makes me comfortable, I digress, when Castillo on he’s good the reason may very well be that the batters never know where the ball is going to go, that’s sorta OK isn’t it? Until he gets behind the count more often then one would like. You know who he reminds me of? Kinda? Ray there I said it. Ray the hard throwing Ray because of it his control becomes at times erratic this however maybe offset by his strikeout performances his style will become over barring in time as it’s has already shown up. Staying healthy will be a challenge, he may be better served in the pen though if he keeps going this way you will run him out of gas, until he goes green.

    2
    Reply
    • chrisjaybecker

      1 month ago

      To me, the comp is Fernando Rodney. When Diego takes the mound, it’s the same kind of Roller Coaster ride.

      Reply
      • lee cousins

        1 month ago

        That’s because there brothers.

        Reply
  10. BPax

    1 month ago

    Castillo was one of the pitchers in MLB with a deliberate routine between pitches. It included tugging, readjusting, etc. I wonder if he’s having issues with the new rules? As an M’s fan, to me he has always had a little Fernando Rodney in him. He mostly got the job done but he took you on a rollercoaster to get there.

    3
    Reply
  11. libertybell444

    1 month ago

    I’d pick him up if I were the Phillies. Work out the kinks in the minors then bring him up and see if he can return to 2020 and 2021 form.

    1
    Reply
  12. joew

    1 month ago

    Castillo i would think would be able to latch on somewhere else pretty easily. Last year he was decent and this year only 9 innings. Seems pretty drastic to send him down for that short of sample? There is probably something i don’t know since i don’t follow them really.

    1
    Reply
    • lamars

      1 month ago

      @Joew –
      Not with him making $2+ million.

      Reply
      • joew

        1 month ago

        @Lamars I would think with his recent season performance someone would take the risk. but again I don’t follow the Mariners. Better than fair shot that I don’t know something 🙂

        Reply
  13. Primitive Screwhead

    1 month ago

    Diego has been an incipient heart attack for fans every time he’s taken the mound for the M’s. Always full of drama: often escapes problems of his own making, but often unravels spectacularly and swiftly. My heart likes this change.

    2
    Reply
    • Fred Park

      1 month ago

      This new guy Bryce Miller might be another “incipient heart attack” kind of pitcher.
      That fastball “in the high 90s that can bump 100 mph” is hard pitching, sure, but it can also be hit hard.
      We have to hope not.
      We want a guy who can pitch hard, like the other Castillo (Luis), but who can get hitters out from the very beginning.
      One of the Mariners’ weakness has been lack of efficiency.
      When that pitch count gets up high too quickly, then problems begin to feed on themselves. Pitchers are only human, and they see they are getting used up too soon.

      1
      Reply
  14. Rosstradamus

    1 month ago

    It’s Miller Time!

    3
    Reply
    • lee cousins

      1 month ago

      Maybe a popular shirt in just another promotion for the M’s

      Reply
  15. cdouglas24000

    1 month ago

    So who’s replacing Castillo in the bullpen? I think berroa should be a good place to start. He still needs to develop a 3rd pitch, but I think he will catch on like brash has. Starts off a lil rough but can be devastating when “on”.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.
Log in Register

ad: 300x250_1_MLB

    Top Stories

    Lance McCullers Jr. Headed For MRI After Experiencing Setback

    D-backs GM Mike Hazen On Trade Deadline Needs

    Jacob deGrom To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

    Yankees To Place Aaron Judge On Injured List

    Blue Jays Option Alek Manoah

    Reds Promote Elly De La Cruz

    Red Sox Designate Raimel Tapia For Assignment

    Mets Designate Tomas Nido For Assignment, Activate Omar Narvaez

    MLB Hires Albert Pujols As Special Assistant

    Guardians Designate Zach Plesac For Assignment

    Diamondbacks Extend Torey Lovullo Through 2024

    Red Sox Place Chris Sale On Injured List With Shoulder Inflammation

    Reds Disinclined To Trade Jonathan India

    Yankees Activate Stanton, Donaldson, Kahnle; Rodon Transferred To 60-Day IL

    Tigers Place Riley Greene On Injured List Due To Stress Reaction In Fibula

    Braves Select AJ Smith-Shawver, Designate Lucas Luetge

    Orioles Sign Aaron Hicks, Place Cedric Mullins On IL

    Brewers Designate Luke Voit For Assignment

    White Sox To Activate Liam Hendriks From Injured List

    Royals Release Hunter Dozier

    Recent

    Nationals Release Erasmo Ramírez

    Pete Alonso Likely Headed To Injured List

    The Opener: Alvarez, Jimenez, Urias

    Red Sox To Select Joe Jacques

    Mariners Sign Didi Gregorius To Minor League Deal

    Blue Jays Outright Zach Thompson

    Red Sox To Designate Matt Dermody For Assignment

    Phillies, Drew Hutchison Agree To Minor League Deal

    Tigers Release Jermaine Palacios, Jace Fry

    Lance McCullers Jr. Headed For MRI After Experiencing Setback

    ad: 300x250_5_side_mlb

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Shohei Ohtani Rumors
    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Go Ad-Free
    • 2023-24 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2024-25 MLB Free Agent List
    • MLB Player Chats
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    ad: 160x600_MLB

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • Feeds by Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    hide arrowsFOX Sports Engage Network scroll to top
    Close

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version