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Luis Castillo

Mariners Not Currently Listening To Offers On Luis Castillo

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Injuries to Ryan Bliss, Victor Robles, and Jorge Polanco have required the Mariners to drastically rethink their lineup in recent weeks. Bliss’s expected four-to-five month absence after undergoing surgery on his biceps leaves a hole at second base, which Polanco won’t be able to fill for at least another week or two as he’s been limited to DH-only duties by his own injuries. Robles, meanwhile, figures to be sidelined for at least three months by a shoulder fracture, which forced Luke Raley to move from first base to right field. That leaves two spots in the club’s infield that need to be filled, and while Miles Mastrobuoni and Rowdy Tellez are holding down the fort for the time being it’s hardly a surprise that the Mariners have begun exploring the market for infield help as they look to reconstruct their offense.

The idea of the Mariners searching the market for infield help is hardly a new one. Over the offseason, Seattle reportedly engaged in trade conversations regarding players like Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner, Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm, and Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas. None of those trade talks ultimately gained enough traction for Seattle to bring an infielder into the fold, however, and so they went into the season with a largely unchanged infield aside from a minor addition in Donovan Solano. The hangup in those talks appears to have been the Mariners’ hesitation to part ways with a member of their excellent starting rotation. Seattle’s on-paper starting five of Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo, Luis Castillo, and Bryce Miller is in the conversation for the very best in the entire sport, but the team’s unwillingness to split up that quintet seemed to hamper trade talks this winter even as they reportedly at least listened to offers on Castillo.

If the club was reluctant to trade from its rotation this winter, they appear even more unlikely to do so now. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote this morning that one unnamed organization offered the Mariners a young infielder in exchange for Castillo in the aftermath of Seattle’s recent injury woes but was rebuffed, with Seattle indicating that Castillo is off-limits for the time being. It’s notable that the club is holding firm on its desire to keep a strong starting rotation together, even if the details about the reported trade offer are rather sparse. It’s understandable that the Mariners wouldn’t want to compromise their starting pitching depth this early in the season, even in the face of their current woes on offense, given that Kirby is currently out of commission with shoulder inflammation.

Kirby is tentatively expected to be back at some point in May, but details on his recovery process have been relatively sparse so his exact timetable for a return is unclear. Nonetheless, it stands to reason that the Mariners wouldn’t be interested in dealing from a rotation that currently features just four starting pitchers until Kirby returns unless completely overwhelmed by an offer. That’s especially true given how well Castillo has pitched so far, with a 2.12 ERA and a 3.99 FIP across his first three starts of the season.

The Yankees and Mets entered the season with a number of notable rotation injuries and could certainly benefit from a proven starter like Castillo, and injuries will surely continue to plague the rotations of contenders in the coming weeks and months. Just today, the Cubs announced that ace southpaw Justin Steele will miss the remainder of the 2025 season due to impending elbow surgery. The Red Sox, Orioles, and Padres are among the other teams that have been bitten by the injury bug in the rotation to this point in the year, though that list could obviously look very different by the time trade season kicks into full gear.

Giants Showed Interest In Luis Castillo Earlier In Offseason

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The Giants were among the teams that engaged the Mariners earlier in the offseason in trade talks regrading Luis Castillo, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The clubs obviously did not line up on a deal and Castillo is expected to open the year in Seattle’s rotation.

Seattle entertained offers on the veteran righty as a means to potentially adding lineup help and creating payroll space which they could reinvest in the offense. The Mariners seemingly never gave much consideration to moving any of their younger top four starters: George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller or Bryan Woo. Castillo is in a different spot, as he’s entering his age-32 season and on a significant contract. He’ll make $22.75MM annually for the next three years, while the deal also includes a vesting option for the ’28 campaign.

It’s not a bad contract. Castillo remains a very good starter. He turned in a 3.64 ERA with an above-average 24.3% strikeout percentage over 175 1/3 innings last year. It was his sixth consecutive sub-4.00 ERA showing. He has topped 150 innings in each of the last six full seasons. Castillo has had better than average strikeout rates throughout his career. His fastball still sits in the 95-96 MPH range. His salaries are expensive but in line with what comparable or slightly lesser pitchers like Nathan Eovaldi, Sean Manaea and Yusei Kikuchi landed on three-year terms as free agents.

At the same time, the Mariners were looking both to offload the money and command upper-level hitting talent in return. They seemingly stuck to a high asking price, which aligns with president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto’s repeated assertions that the front office was reluctant to subtract from the rotation.

Slusser writes that the Giants have unsurprisingly been unwilling to entertain including top first base prospect Bryce Eldridge in a trade. That’s not to say that the Mariners were necessarily insistent on including Eldridge in a Castillo deal, but the Giants are otherwise light on impact controllable hitting talent. The 20-year-old first baseman is the only San Francisco prospect to crack Baseball America’s Top 100 this offseason.

Tyler Fitzgerald and Heliot Ramos are coming off impressive seasons, but they’re each ticketed for everyday playing time in San Francisco. Both players have elevated strikeout rates that could have been a concern for Seattle. Marco Luciano’s prospect status has fallen thanks to defensive questions and strikeout concerns of his own. Luis Matos and Casey Schmitt probably project as depth pieces. While the Mariners presumably had varying levels of interest in some of those players, it’s understandable that the sides apparently couldn’t line up on value.

The Giants would up making a big move on the free agent front, signing Justin Verlander to a $15MM deal. The future Hall of Famer slots behind Logan Webb and alongside Robbie Ray in Bob Melvin’s staff. Jordan Hicks seems ticketed for the fourth starter role, with Kyle Harrison probably grabbing the final rotation spot. Hayden Birdsong, Landen Roupp, Keaton Winn and Mason Black are among the other options on the 40-man roster.

Jerry Dipoto Discusses Castillo, Lineup, Polanco

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Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto met with reporters this afternoon after the team finalized the one-year deal to retain Jorge Polanco. Seattle’s longtime front office leader addressed the team’s atypically quiet offseason while providing a couple injury updates.

Dipoto said the front office entered the winter believing they could be in for a slow offseason. “One of our points going into this offseason, and I know I made it sitting in the dugout in the final series, was that we didn’t anticipate a great deal of movement around the team,” he told the beat (including Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times). “As we are now about a week away from heading to Spring Training, I’d say that probably played out to be spot on, much to, I think, the dismay of a few. But we have a good team.”

Seattle has made two major league free agent signings. They brought Polanco back on a $7.75MM guarantee and added Donovan Solano as a part-time righty bat for $3.5MM. Reporting from both The Seattle Times and MLB.com throughout the offseason has suggested that ownership was only allowing the front office to allocate between $15MM-20MM to the MLB payroll. While the lack of free agent activity has certainly been a source of frustration for much of the fanbase, it’s not especially surprising.

The more interesting development has been the M’s willingness to sit out the trade market. They’ve made four trades this offseason, all of which have been depth acquisitions for players who were in DFA limbo: Austin Shenton, Miles Mastrobuoni, Blake Hunt and Will Klein. Those are akin to waiver claims. The Mariners essentially haven’t made a single notable move on the trade market, a stark contrast to Dipoto’s reputation as one of the game’s most prolific traders. The “Trader Jerry” nickname has been well earned in prior offseasons.

Most trade speculation concerned the possibility of the Mariners moving a starting pitcher to add a hitter. As Dipoto noted today, he did indeed downplay that notion before last season even ended. He famously called dealing from the rotation the M’s “Plan Z” for the offseason in the referenced media scrum. That didn’t stop other teams from inquiring on Seattle’s young rotation nucleus of George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo, but there’s nothing to suggest the Mariners gave strong consideration to moving any of them.

The one starter who was available was Luis Castillo. The veteran righty is under contract for another three seasons and $68.25MM (plus a 2028 vesting option). Trading Castillo could have created spending room while netting the M’s immediate lineup help. It wasn’t going to be a straight salary dump, though, and Seattle hasn’t found an offer it finds compelling. The Seattle Times’ Adam Jude reported last week that Castillo was unlikely to move at this point.

Dipoto implied as much in today’s comments. He told Jude and other reporters that the front office received some proposals that warranted real consideration, but those obviously did not result in a deal. “Not shockingly, we had inquiries on all five of our starting pitchers and dozens of prospects along the way,” he added. “But obviously we opted not to go that route.” While he left open the possibility of making another move, he noted that the front office would be happy with the roster “if this is our team going into Spring Training or Opening Day” (via Divish and Jude).

The Mariners will go into Spring Training with arguably MLB’s best 1-5 in the rotation. Their depth behind that is lacking, though perhaps quick-moving prospect Logan Evans can soon be a factor. Seattle benefited from excellent rotation health last year. Woo was the only member of their front five who made fewer than 30 starts. That’ll be difficult to replicate, but when the rotation is at full strength, they’re giving the ball to an above-average starter every night.

As has long been the case, the question is whether they’ll score enough runs. Dipoto expressed confidence in the lineup, pointing to their success later in the season after the managerial and hitting coach changes. Seattle hitters had a .216/.301/.365 batting line through August 21. After dismissing Scott Servais and Jarret DeHart in favor of Dan Wilson and Edgar Martinez, respectively, they hit .255/.347/.417 in their final 34 games.

Attributing that entirely to the coaching changes is overly simplistic. They improved the lineup at the deadline with the Justin Turner and Randy Arozarena pickups and league-wide offense tends to peak later in the summer with warmer weather. Still, the change in voice probably played some part in the much improved finish. The Mariners play in the sport’s toughest home park for hitters. Only the White Sox had a lower team OPS in home games. Seattle ranked 13th in OPS on the road. Mike Petriello of MLB.com examined some reasons behind T-Mobile Park’s extreme pitcher-friendly environment last week in a column that’s well worth a full read.

Dipoto also addressed a few injury situations. He expressed confidence in Polanco’s health after the veteran infielder played through a left knee injury that eventually required a meniscus repair. The Mariners believe the move from his longtime second base position to third base will take less of a toll on him physically. Meanwhile, reliever Troy Taylor suffered a lat strain during his offseason workouts and will not be ready for the start of camp. It’s not clear if he’ll need to begin the regular season on the injured list. The righty turned in a 3.72 ERA while striking out nearly 31% of opposing hitters across 21 appearances as a rookie.

Mariners Less Likely To Trade Luis Castillo; Twins Showed Interest

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Luis Castillo’s name has swirled in trade rumors for much of the offseason, as since Castillo is far and away the priciest member of the Mariners’ rotation, Seattle has at least been more open to discussing Castillo than any of its other starting pitchers.  However, Adam Jude of the Seattle Times writes that a Castillo trade “is less likely now than it was early in the winter,” even if the Mariners will continue to explore other possibilities to build on what might be a mostly set roster.

Infield help was the Mariners’ clearest need heading into the winter, leading to natural speculation that the M’s would move Castillo or another starting pitcher for a clear-cut everyday player that could slide right as an everyday option at first, second, or third base.  This said, Seattle president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has long said that the M’s would trade from their rotation only as a last resort, so it might not be any surprise that the club is now moving away from Castillo after addressing its infield needs in free agency.

Jorge Polanco and Donovan Solano were both recently signed to one-year deals, adding a pair of experienced players to the infield mix for $11.25MM in guaranteed money.  These expenditures have absorbed much of the limited budget Dipoto had to work with, as Jude reiterates that the Mariners had roughly $15MM in available payroll space this winter.  Between this lack of spending ability and nearly league-wide demand for only MLB-caliber talent (rather than prospects) on the trade market, Dipoto’s hands may have been somewhat tied, and he opted to instead run it back with Seattle’s superb rotation rather than take the risk of diminishing the rotation for a hitting upgrade.

On paper, trading Castillo would’ve helped the Mariners both add a bat and cut some payroll, since the right-hander is owed $68.25MM in guaranteed money through the 2027 season.  (A vesting option for the 2028 season could add another $25MM in salary if Castillo remains healthy and tosses at least 180 innings in 2027.)  That said, Castillo’s salary was also no small consideration for other teams — in trade talks with the Red Sox, Boston was reportedly only willing to move Triston Casas for Castillo if Masataka Yoshida was also sent along with Casas as salary offset.

Several of the teams cited by MLBTR’s Nick Deeds in late December as potential Castillo trade fits have since acquired other pitchers, further narrowing Seattle’s list of options.  Opening Day is still eight weeks’ away, of course, so there’s plenty of time for the Mariners to pivot back to a Castillo deal if circumstances (i.e. injuries, a drop in asking prices) should change either for the M’s or a mystery team.

Perhaps as an example, the Twins hadn’t been considered as a potential landing spot for Castillo, but The Athletic’s Dan Hayes hears from a Twins source that reports that Minnesota did indeed check in with the Mariners about the veteran righty.  It doesn’t appear to be any more than a due diligence exploration, however, as Hayes suggests that Castillo’s contract is too pricey for the Twins’ liking.

Minnesota is also working within payroll restrictions, as Hayes writes that the Twins may have around $5MM in additional spending space for 2025.  Multiple reports suggest that the Twins would first have to trade some contracts off the books in order to make space for new acquisitions, which is why Christian Vazquez and Chris Paddack have been oft-mentioned trade candidates.

It was just over a year ago that the Twins and Mariners combined on a prominent trade that sent Polanco to Seattle in the first place, so the two teams have a recent working relationship.  Still, the two teams are somewhat in the same boat of trying to both fix some clear needs on their rosters while also spending as little as possible, leaving little common ground on the trade front.  Minnesota has been more recently linked to Dylan Cease’s market, and while prying Cease away from the Padres won’t be easy, his $13.75MM salary for just the 2025 season (Cease is a free agent next winter) is a better financial fit for the Twins’ books.

Orioles Remain In The Market For Pitching Upgrades

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Late last week, the Orioles added veteran right-hander Charlie Morton to their rotation mix on a one-year deal. On paper, the addition (alongside the club’s one-year deal with Tomoyuki Sugano earlier last month) would appear to fill their rotation. Things may not be that simple, however, as Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported this morning that Baltimore remains in the market for upgrades even after adding Morton to their rotation mix.

As noted by Rosenthal, the Orioles already have a fairly deep rotation mix as things stand. Morton and Sugano are joined by Zach Eflin and Grayson Rodriguez as locks for the club’s rotation next year, with Dean Kremer poised to round out the starting five. Rosenthal suggests that veteran journeyman Albert Suárez could pitch in as the club’s sixth starter if the Orioles opt for a six-man rotation this year, but even if they stick with just five starters Suárez figures to slot into the bullpen as a swing-man who can move back into the rotation as needed. Cade Povich, Trevor Rogers, and Chayce McDermott are all available as depth options behind that group, as well.

If Baltimore were to add another starter, it seems likely that Kremer would be the odd man out. The right-hander made 24 starts for the Orioles last year and pitched to decent results, with a 4.10 ERA (92 ERA+) and a 4.32 FIP in 129 2/3 innings of work. That’s perfectly solid production for a fifth starter, but those numbers also shouldn’t prevent the Orioles from upgrading their rotation mix and squeezing Kremer out of the picture. After all, the right-hander has been at least slightly below average by measure of ERA+ in every season of his career except 2022, when he pitched to an impressive 3.23 ERA in 125 1/3 innings of work in a career year.

Kremer, who is arbitration eligible for the first time in his career this winter, has a minor league option remaining that could offer the Orioles some flexibility if the club decides to add further to its rotation. Speculatively speaking, however, it’s also possible that the club could consider offering the right-hander as part of the return to land a starter on the trade market. Kremer has three seasons of team control remaining, so offering him up in order to land a rental pitcher like Dylan Cease would be a risky move given the fact that Morton, Sugano, and Eflin are all already ticketed for free agency next winter. That said, it seems feasible that Kremer could make sense as part of the return for a controllable arm such as Luis Castillo or Pablo López.

Rosenthal previously reported that the Mariners have some pause about dealing Castillo given their lackluster rotation depth behind the current starting five, which could make the Orioles a particularly good trade partner if they’re willing to make Kremer or even one of their younger arms like Povich available. Rosenthal reports that the Mariners are requiring major league talent in return for Castillo’s services this winter, while noting that Baltimore seems reluctant to deal from its cache of young position players. Perhaps a package focused on Kremer and first baseman Ryan Mountcastle could make some sense for both sides, then, offering Seattle a pair of arbitration-level players with multiple years of control while landing the Orioles the controllable, front-line starter they’ve been seeking.

Of course, the trade market isn’t the only way that Baltimore could upgrade their rotation. Former Oriole Jack Flaherty is still available on the free agent market, and the club was frequently connected to him prior to the club’s deal with Morton. If the Orioles remain in the market for rotation upgrades even after adding Morton to the fold, it stands to reason that Flaherty remains at least a potential fit for the club’s needs despite some recent reporting that has suggested the club could balk at the righty’s asking price. Flaherty seems certain to land a multi-year deal this winter, with reports indicating he’s angling for a five-year pact. Such an addition would offer Baltimore a bit more certainty in its rotation for 2026 and beyond by allowing them to project a starting five that includes Flaherty, Rodriguez, and Kremer for next season alongside Kyle Bradish, who could return from elbow surgery at some point in the second half this year.

Moving beyond the possibility of further rotation upgrades, Rosenthal adds that the Orioles hope to supplement its bullpen mix this winter. The biggest addition to Baltimore’s relief corps is sure to be the return for closer Félix Bautista from Tommy John surgery, but it stands to reason that the club could use at least one veteran arm to join Seranthony Domínguez, Yennier Cano, Keegan Akin, and Gregory Soto among the club’s potential late-inning options ahead of Bautista. While Baltimore has not been directly connected to any specific relievers in this year’s free agent market, they figure to benefit from the fact that there’s been minimal movement on the relief market to this point in the winter if the club decides to hold off on adding bullpen help until later in the winter.

Looking For A Match In A Luis Castillo Trade

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One of the worst-kept secrets in baseball this winter is the Mariners’ need for infield help. If the 2024 season were to start today, the club would have J.P. Crawford locked in at shortstop but little certainty around the rest of the diamond. First base would likely be occupied by a platoon of Luke Raley and Tyler Locklear, the latter of whom struggled badly in a 16-game cup of coffee with Seattle last year. Second and third base would be even dicier. Dylan Moore is capable of playing both positions and could be an everyday player for the club after appearing in 135 games last year but may be better suited for a super utility role given his impressive versatility and struggles against same-handed pitching. Ryan Bliss, Austin Shenton, and Leo Rivas are all young and intriguing hitters who made their big league debuts in 2024, but none of them got even 100 plate appearances in the majors last year and would be risky to rely on in full-time roles.

That obvious need for an infielder or two has led the Mariners to consider making a move they’ve long resisted pulling the trigger on: trading from their vaunted starting rotation. There’s an argument to be made that Seattle boasts the best starting rotation in baseball. George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller, and Bryan Woo form the sort of proven, controllable corps of young starters that most teams can only dream of developing, and veteran right-hander Luis Castillo has served as a veteran anchor for the club’s rotation ever since he was acquired from the Reds following the 2022 trade deadline. While the Mariners still seem unlikely to part with any of the youngsters in their rotation, they’ve begun to at least listen to offers on Castillo, who has drawn interest around the league thanks to his fairly affordable contract and consistently above average results.

That’s not to say a Castillo trade comes without potential obstacles. While the right-hander has pitched well during his two full seasons in Seattle, he’s not posted the same front-of-the-rotation results he flashed earlier in his career with Cincinnati. After posting a 3.46 ERA (132 ERA+) with a near-matching 3.43 FIP from 2019 to 2022, Castillo’s 3.48 ERA (110 ERA+) has remained stagnant the last two years despite a much friendlier home ballpark for pitching while his 3.86 FIP is a noticeable step backwards from the earlier days of his career and his fastball velocity has lost a tick or two since he arrived in Washington.

Aside from those potential concerns for would-be suitors, Castillo also wields a full no-trade clause and could block any trade if he so chooses. One final wrinkle from the Mariners’ perspective is their lack of starting pitching depth behind an excellent top five rotation pieces; Emerson Hancock would likely be the next man up if Castillo was dealt, but he struggled in 12 starts last year and there’s virtually no big league ready starting depth behind him in the organization. That could make a team that could offer a young starter in addition to infield help a particularly attractive trade partner for Seattle.

So, which clubs are best suited to swinging a deal for the right-hander? Let’s take a look at nine possible options, listed alphabetically between three tiers:

Best Fits:

  • Blue Jays: The Blue Jays have had a difficult offseason so far, as they’ve struck out on both Juan Soto and Corbin Burnes in free agency. Their biggest addition to this point is infielder Andrés Giménez, who they swung a deal to acquire from the Guardians during the Winter Meetings. With that said, they’re known to be in the market for starting pitching help, and Castillo would form a solid veteran nucleus in the rotation alongside Kevin Gausman, José Berríos, and Chris Bassitt. What’s more, the Jays have a number of interesting young infielders like Davis Schneider, Leo Jiménez, and Will Wagner who could be of interest to the Mariners.
  • Giants: The Giants made a big splash just before the Winter Meetings began by signing Willy Adames but join Toronto in being a top reported suitor for Burnes who missed out on the right-hander when he agreed to a deal with Arizona late Friday night. Castillo would be an excellent starter to pair with Logan Webb at the front of San Francisco’s rotation, and the Giants have previously expressed a willingness to deal first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. this winter. Wade, 31 on New Year’s Day, has posted a solid .258/.376/.401 (120 wRC+) with a fantastic 15% walk rate over the past two seasons.
  • Orioles: As the team Burnes pitched for in 2024 prior to reaching free agency, the Orioles join the Blue Jays and Giants in the hunt for a top-of-the-rotation arm now that he’s departed for the desert. The need for a front-end arm in Baltimore is perhaps more acute than it is anywhere else on this list, as 2023’s staff ace Kyle Bradish isn’t expected to pitch in the first half of 2025 following UCL surgery last year. Castillo would slot in front of Zach Eflin and Grayson Rodriguez for the Orioles, offering some much-needed stability to the Baltimore rotation. In return, the Orioles could offer a player from their surplus of first base options such as Ryan Mountcastle and perhaps even add in a young starter like Cade Povich to help replace Castillo in the Seattle rotation. Notably, the Orioles are among the teams that have reportedly inquired after the right-hander this winter.

Next Tier Down:

  • Braves: The Braves watched both Max Fried and Charlie Morton depart from their rotation for free agency last month but have yet to make a significant move this offseason outside of trading Jorge Soler away to the Angels. Adding an arm like Castillo to the mix behind Chris Sale and (eventually) Spencer Strider would offer the club another high-end starter while also providing security to a rotation full of frequently injured hurlers. Atlanta doesn’t have much to offer in the way of infield help outside of prospect Nacho Alvarez Jr. but could help supplement the Mariners rotation by offering a controllable starter like Bryce Elder or AJ Smith-Shawver as part of the return.
  • Cubs: The Cubs have already been connected to Castillo this winter and are known to be in the market for a front-end starter to pair with Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga, but the club’s recent trade for Kyle Tucker has seemingly complicated the fit between the two sides. The Mariners are known to have had interest in Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner this winter, and the Cubs previously could part with Hoerner and replace him at the keystone with Matt Shaw. Since then, however, the Cubs shipped third baseman Isaac Paredes to the Astros in exchange for Tucker. With Shaw now penciled in as Paredes’s replacement at the hot corner, the Cubs may be less inclined to part with Hoerner to bolster the Mariners’ infield. While a young starter such as Javier Assad or Jordan Wicks could help facilitate a trade, it’s hard to imagine a deal for Castillo getting done that doesn’t send some sort of infield help back to Seattle.
  • Red Sox: The Red Sox are also among the teams known to have discussed Castillo with Seattle, and the club specifically attempted to swing a trade involving him, Triston Casas, and Masataka Yoshida that was eventually shut down by the Mariners. It’s hard to imagine Boston parting with Casas in a straight one-for-one swap for Castillo, which could make finding a match between the two sides difficult. Perhaps a deal could still be had that sends a lesser infield piece such as Vaughn Grissom or David Hamilton to Seattle alongside a young starter like Kutter Crawford, but now that the Red Sox have brought Walker Buehler into the rotation other clubs may be more motivated to get a deal done with Seattle than Boston is.

Longer Shots:

  • Dodgers: The Dodgers are not known to have interest in Castillo but are always a threat to upgrade their roster and could certainly benefit from adding a steady, innings-eating arm like him to the cavalcade of high-octane arms with durability questions that currently make up their starting rotation. Even so, however, the Dodgers have little to offer from their infield mix at the moment. Perhaps Gavin Lux could be a serviceable platoon partner for Moore at second base, but even adding a young starter such as Landon Knack alongside Lux seems unlikely to entice the Mariners to part ways with Castillo.
  • Mets: The Mets are among the teams that have been connected to Castillo this winter, but they subsequently rounded out their rotation by adding left-hander Sean Manaea. It’s at least theoretically feasible that the club could add Castillo and push Clay Holmes out of their projected rotation and into the bullpen, but given the fact that New York explicitly signed Holmes to start that would be a major surprise, even as the Mets have excess pieces such as Brett Baty and Tylor Megill that would surely interest Seattle.
  • Tigers: Detroit could use a bona fide front-end arm to pair with Tarik Skubal next season, and adding mid-rotation veteran Alex Cobb didn’t exactly fill that need. The Tigers also recently signed Gleyber Torres in a move that pushed youngster Colt Keith to first base, seemingly leaving former first overall pick Spencer Torkelson without a role in the majors. Torkelson would be a high-upside addition who’s sure to be intriguing to the Mariners as they search for first base help, but it’s unclear whether they would part with Castillo to land him or if the Tigers are interested in taking on the $72.45MM Castillo is guaranteed over the next three seasons.

Details On Mariners/Red Sox Trade Talks

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The Mariners and Red Sox have been linked together in trade rumors for the better part of a year, including reports from earlier this winter that Seattle turned down Boston’s offer of Triston Casas for either Bryan Woo or Bryce Miller.  Another intriguing deal involving Casas was at least discussed between the two sides, as MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports that the Sox weren’t willing to agree to a deal that would’ve seen Casas swapped in exchange for Luis Castillo.  The Red Sox were only open to such a trade if Masataka Yoshida was included along with Casas.

Yoshida signed a five-year, $90MM deal with the Red Sox in December 2022, back when Chaim Bloom was still Boston’s chief baseball officer.  The contract greatly exceeded what Yoshida was expected to land in his entry into North American baseball, and once Craig Breslow took over Boston’s front office last winter, it didn’t take long before Yoshida’s name began to surface in trade rumors.  Yoshida is still owed $54MM over the final three seasons of that deal, plus he underwent shoulder surgery in October, though he is expected to be recovered in time for Opening Day.

Since Yoshida’s contract has become the central talking point of his MLB career, his salary tends to obscure the fact that he has posted decent numbers over his two seasons in the Show.  Yoshida has hit .285/.343/.433 and 25 home runs over 1001 plate appearances, translating to a 112 wRC+.  That production has ticked upwards against right-handed pitching, as the lefty-swinging Yoshida naturally has better splits against righties (.810 OPS in 749 PA) than lefties (252 PA).  Known for being a very disciplined hitter during his time in Japan, Yoshida has been one of baseball’s toughest batters to strike out during his time with the Red Sox.

For all of Yoshida’s contact, however, he hasn’t delivered much in the way of hard contact or power numbers.  He has also posted subpar walk rates, and public defensive metrics didn’t like his glovework over 713 1/3 innings as a left fielder in 2023.  The Red Sox responded to the fielding struggles by limiting Yoshida almost exclusively to DH duty in 2024, a decision that reportedly didn’t please the 31-year-old.

Since the Mariners could use a left-handed bat and basically hitting help of any kind, Yoshida might have some appeal on paper to Seattle.  That said, Randy Arozarena is set to play left field and Mitch Haniger is already slated to take on the bulk of DH at-bats, so Yoshida would again likely be limited to a platoon DH role in the Mariners’ lineup.  It is also easy to imagine what the M’s had little to no interest in taking Yoshida’s contract off Boston’s hands, as reports have indicated that the Mariners might only be open to moving Castillo in order to clear his salary from the books.

Castillo is owed $68.25MM in guaranteed money from 2025-27, plus a $25MM vesting option for 2028 that becomes guaranteed based on health, and if Castillo tosses at least 180 innings during the 2027 season.  Trading Castillo and taking back Yoshida would represent only $39.25MM of savings for the Mariners’ payroll, which the M’s probably didn’t view as worthwhile even with the bigger benefit of obtaining a controllable young slugger like Casas.  Seattle president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has publicly stated that trading from the rotation is a “Plan Z” option given how much the Mariners value their elite pitching staff, and if the M’s did budge on moving a starter, taking back an unwanted contract as salary offset is surely not on Dipoto’s radar.

It seems increasingly clear that the Sox are ready to move on from Yoshida, yet naturally it will be tricky in getting another team to absorb anything more than a fraction of his $54MM remaining salary.  Attaching Casas or another young player to Yoshida in a trade package would be a significant sweetener, even it could also be viewed as something of a waste of a trade asset to give up young talent as part of a salary dump.  While $54MM obviously isn’t a drop in the bucket, Yoshida’s contract isn’t all that onerous for a big-market club and a traditional big spender like the Red Sox, plus their estimated $212MM luxury tax number for 2025 is well under the $241MM tax threshold.

That said, the Red Sox have also exceeded the tax line just once in the last five years, as ownership has made a clear mandate to scale back the team’s spending.  This hasn’t stopped Breslow from making some significant moves, though Boston’s pitching acquisitions this winter (i.e. trading for Garrett Crochet and signing Walker Buehler and Patrick Sandoval) came with a pretty limited financial cost.  The Sox have also been linked to such major free agent names as Juan Soto, Max Fried, Corbin Burnes, Teoscar Hernandez, even if those players ultimately ended up signing elsewhere.

The Mariners and Red Sox have been seen as natural trade partners, as Seattle’s pitching depth and need for hitting dovetails with Boston’s rotation needs and surplus of position players.  Considering the quality of the Mariners’ arms, it is safe to guess the Sox would still be open to adding a Seattle starter if an acceptable deal could be lined up, but the two clubs have been unable to find a match after at least a year of on-and-off trade talks.

Mets, Orioles Among Teams To Inquire After Luis Castillo

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Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo has received plenty of interest from various clubs amid a hot market for starting pitching this winter, with the Red Sox and Cubs among the teams who have been connected to the right-hander so far. A report from The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal this evening name-checks two more clubs who have “at least inquired” after the veteran: the Mets and the Orioles. With that said, however, Rosenthal emphasizes that Mariners are only willing to deal Castillo if the return package improves the big league club as they look to return to the postseason next year.

Both clubs are certainly sensible suitors for the right-hander. The Mets have already added Clay Holmes and Frankie Montas to a rotation that entered the offseason with only Kodai Senga and David Peterson locked into starting roles for 2025, but those additions offer little certainty to the Mets. That makes a steady and reliable arm like Castillo’s a sensible choice for that final rotation spot in Queens, but it’s unclear whether New York has the big-league ready pieces to offer Seattle in order to facilitate a deal. Top prospect Luisangel Acuna would surely be attractive to the Mariners as a big league ready infield option who looked good in a 14-game cup of coffee with the Mets last year, but the soon-to-be 23 year old could be a major factor in the club’s plans for 2025 given his ability to not only play the infield and also a strong center field. That figures to be particularly true if the Mets fail to re-sign Pete Alonso and move Mark Vientos to first base, which would seemingly open up regular playing time for Acuna at either second or third base.

The Orioles, by contrast, have a surplus of talent around the infield that could be attractive to the Mariners as they look for a front-of-the-rotation arm to replace free agent hurler Corbin Burnes. In particular, the club has a bit of a logjam at first base that the Mariners could stand to benefit from. While it’s unclear if Baltimore would be willing to part ways with top prospect Coby Mayo, Ryan Mountcastle and Ryan O’Hearn were forced to share first base duties last year thanks to a crowded positional mix that figures to only become more cramped with the growing playing time needs of youngsters like Mayo, Heston Kjerstad, and Jackson Holliday. With Holliday poised to take over second base on an everyday basis in 2025, it’s also possible that a veteran infielder like Ramon Urias could be available for the Mariners in a deal.

Another obstacle to a potential Castillo deal, Rosenthal writes, is that parting ways with the right-hander could leave the club thin on rotation depth. While their top four of Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryce Miller, and Bryan Woo would remain among the strongest in the sport, big league ready options like Emerson Hancock and Jhonathan Diaz don’t provide much confidence for the Mariners’ back-end. One solution to that problem, of course, could be a young pitcher heading back to Seattle as part of the return for Castillo. The Cubs (Jordan Wicks and Javier Assad), Red Sox (Richard Fitts and Cooper Criswell), Mets (Tylor Megill and Paul Blackburn), and Orioles (Cade Povich and Trevor Rogers) all have players on the rotation bubble who they could at least theoretically make available in trade talks with the Mariners, should improving rotation depth be key to a deal from Seattle’s perspective.

Cubs Interested In Luis Castillo

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The Cubs are one of the teams who have spoken to the Mariners about Luis Castillo’s trade availability, according to Ryan Divish and Adam Jude of the Seattle Times.  The depth of Chicago’s interest isn’t known, or if this interest still exists now that the Cubs have already swung a blockbuster deal to land Kyle Tucker from the Astros.  Castillo also has a no-trade clause in his contract, so he could veto things entirely if he doesn’t have interest in going to Chicago.

Since the Cubs were known to be looking for pitching, however, it would make sense that they would at least check in on what seems to be an increasingly available trade candidate. Rumors have been swirling about Castillo’s availability in recent days, as while Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has publicly downplayed the idea of trading from Seattle’s rotation depth, it is thought that Castillo might be the most available of the starting five.  The 32-year-old Castillo is at least five years older than any of George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, or Bryce Miller, and much more expensive — Castillo is owed $68.25MM in guaranteed money from 2025-27, plus a $25MM vesting option for 2028 that becomes guaranteed based on health and an innings threshold.

This salary might be the chief reason the M’s would be open to trading Castillo, as the club is known to be operating within pretty limited payroll parameters.  Divish and Jude note that the Mariners are thought to have around $15MM in spending space, and for a team with several needs to address on offense, their options for signings or other trades widen greatly if Castillo’s contract was off the books.  Freeing up some money might allow the M’s to make a more full-on pursuit of Christian Walker, who the Mariners have had “atop their wish list since the start of the offseason,” Divish and Jude write.

A deal that saw Castillo go to Wrigleyville could also logically bring at least one bat back in Seattle’s direction.  The M’s have already been linked to Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner, so a swap involving the two of them (if not necessarily a one-for-one) would address both teams’ needs.  Hoerner is owed $23.5MM over the next seasons, so that represents some salary offset if Chicago absorbed all of Castillo’s contract.

On the other hand, sending Isaac Paredes to Houston in the Tucker trade package has already cost the Cubs one starting infielder, so Chicago might now be less willing to move Hoerner.  Top prospect Matt Shaw is viewed as the likeliest candidate to step in at third base in Paredes’ place, and while James Triantos is another highly-touted youngster who might be ready for the big leagues at second base, entrusting two infield jobs to rookies is a risk for the Cubs.

Getting Castillo for Cody Bellinger or Seiya Suzuki would be a cleaner fit for Chicago in dealing from its outfield depth, but the Mariners already have Julio Rodriguez, Randy Arozarena, and Victor Robles slated for starting jobs.  The M’s have Luke Raley set for at least part-time duty at first base and Mitch Haniger penciled in at DH, as well.  This all being said, the Mariners have such a broad need for hitting that it certainly isn’t beyond Dipoto to target a big outfield bat and then get creative in either fitting that bat into the lineup, or perhaps trying to deal Raley or Haniger to land the infield help Seattle more clearly needs.

Installing Castillo alongside Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, and the newly-signed Matthew Boyd would suddenly give the Cubs one of the more appealing rotations in baseball.  Plenty more pitching would be on hand as well, since acquiring Castillo would turn fifth-starter candidates Javier Assad, Ben Brown, Jordan Wicks, or top prospect Cade Horton into depth arms.  Speculatively speaking, one of these younger depth arms could also be sent to Seattle in a hypothetical Castillo trade, to give the Mariners a ready-made replacement for the new vacancy in their rotation.

Mariners Receiving More Trade Calls On Luis Castillo

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Over the weekend, The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier reported that the Mariners were willing to entertain offers on Luis Castillo. Trade chatter has picked up in the few days since then. Daniel Kramer of MLB.com writes that the M’s have received a higher volume of trade calls since Max Fried agreed to an eight-year deal with the Yankees on Tuesday.

Castillo, who turns 32 today, seems to be the one member of the Seattle rotation who’ll be available. President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has continuously shot down the idea of trading from his young quartet of Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller. The M’s reportedly rebuffed the Red Sox when Boston floated a framework of Triston Casas for one of their young starters.

Jon Morosi of the MLB Network suggested yesterday that the Red Sox and Mariners remained in conversations about Seattle’s starting pitching. Boston is probably unwilling to give up Casas for Castillo, however. To that end, Speier relayed last night that a source informed him there was no traction on a deal that would involve those two players.

While Castillo is a less appealing target than Seattle’s controllable arms, he should have positive trade value in his own right. He’s coming off another productive season. Castillo started 30 times and worked to a 3.64 earned run average over 175 1/3 innings. He punched out 24.3% of batters faced against a solid 6.5% walk percentage.

That’s a slight step back from his typical production, as he combined for a 3.47 ERA with a 26% strikeout rate over the preceding three seasons. Even if this wasn’t his best year, Castillo looks the part of a mid-rotation starter. He has topped 150 innings in each of the last six full seasons. Castillo’s fastball sits in the 95-96 MPH range. He still has a better than average strikeout and walk profile.

The differentiators between Castillo and his rotation mates are his contract and age. He’s signed for three more seasons at $22.75MM annually. The deal contains a ’28 vesting option valued at $25MM if Castillo reaches 180 innings in 2027 and finishes that year healthy. There’s some protection for the team in the event he suffers a significant arm injury. If Castillo requires surgery to repair the UCL in his throwing elbow and misses more than 130 days, there’d be a conditional $5MM club option for 2028.

Leaving the options aside, the contract has $68.25MM in guarantees for his age 32-34 seasons. That’s probably a little less than what he’d make if he were a free agent this offseason. Castillo is more consistent than Yusei Kikuchi, who got $63MM going into his age-34 season. He has similar numbers to Nathan Eovaldi, who just inked a $75MM deal for ages 35-37.

One complicating factor: Castillo’s deal includes a full no-trade clause through the end of next season. The trade protection goes away at the end of the year (though he would receive a $1MM assignment bonus if he’s traded after 2025). Kramer writes that the Mariners have informed the righty that they’re fielding more interest. The report doesn’t shed any light to which teams, if any, Castillo would approve a trade.

If he’s amenable to moving, the Mariners should be able to offload most or all of the contract while netting a legitimate return. A potential cornerstone bat like Casas is a stretch, but it’s reasonable to expect some kind of immediate lineup help. It’d also open budgetary space for the front office to add to the offense in free agency. Ryan Divish and Adam Jude of the Seattle Times have reported that the M’s are working with around $15-20MM in payroll room; Kramer suggests the same in today’s report at MLB.com. Pushing that closer to $40MM would open a lot more opportunities for Dipoto and his staff to strengthen the corner infield.

It would be a notable hit to their rotation. Much is made of Seattle’s young starting pitching, deservedly so. The talent at the top does obscure a general lack of depth beyond their excellent front five, however. Emerson Hancock hasn’t shown much at the MLB level despite his billing as a former sixth overall pick. He has a 4.71 ERA with a 14.3% strikeout rate in 15 big league starts.

Hancock and soft-tossing lefty Jhonathan Diaz are the top depth options on the 40-man roster. The Mariners didn’t need to rely on either pitcher much in 2024. Their front five combined for all but 13 starts all season. Even if they bring back their entire rotation, it’s unlikely they’ll be quite so fortunate from an injury perspective. Trading Castillo would almost certainly necessitate a rotation acquisition, either in that trade or via subsequent free agent pickup. One need only look at how quickly the Marlins’ starting pitching has been depleted over the past two seasons as an example of the risk for teams in believing they have a rotation surplus. That’s no doubt a factor in Seattle’s general unwillingness to listen on their younger arms.

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