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Luis Castillo

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.

Red Sox Remain In Rotation Market Following Crochet Deal

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The Red Sox landed the offseason’s top rotation trade candidate this afternoon. Even after acquiring Garrett Crochet from the White Sox for a four-prospect package, Boston is on the hunt for starting pitching.

Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told reporters that the Sox remained in the rotation market after the Crochet acquisition (Bluesky link via Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe). The Globe’s Alex Speier reports (on X) that Boston is still engaged on Corbin Burnes as well as mid-tier rotation targets.

That could evidently take the form of either a free agent move or a trade. Jon Morosi of the MLB Network tweets that the Sox are still having discussions with the Mariners regarding their starting pitching. Adam Jude and Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reported on Monday that Seattle rebuffed interest in a framework that would’ve sent one of their young starters to the Sox for first baseman Triston Casas. President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has spoken repeatedly of the organization’s reluctance to even consider moving George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo or Bryce Miller.

Luis Castillo could be a different story. The Mariners are reportedly open to discussing Castillo, whom they owe $68.25MM over the next three seasons. The deal also has a vesting option for 2028. According to Mark Feinsand and Daniel Kramer of MLB.com, there’s a belief within the industry that the righty is available (X link). There should be trade value, as Castillo’s deal aligns with what Luis Severino and Nathan Eovaldi have landed on three-year free agent deals. Yet Castillo isn’t as appealing as the M’s young core of much more affordable starters. That price tag surely plays into the M’s willingness to listen to offers, as they’re reportedly working with around $15-20MM in payroll room and could use multiple hitters.

It’s unlikely that the Mariners would trade Castillo strictly for prospects. They’d presumably need an MLB hitter to anchor the return. Casas might be too big an ask if they’re not sending one of their younger arms to Boston. Outfielder Wilyer Abreu is another potential Red Sox trade candidate, though the M’s have less need for an outfielder than they do for an impact bat in the corner infield like Casas.

Whether anything will come of the Sox’s pursuits remains to be seen. At the very least, it’s clear Breslow and his front office aren’t fully satisfied with a rotation comprising Crochet, Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford and Lucas Giolito. They gave up a good package of young talent to get Crochet, but he’s eminently affordable from a financial perspective. Boston should have the flexibility to continue identifying free agent targets or take on a notable salary in trade.

Mariners Turned Down Triston Casas Trade Offer From Red Sox

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The Mariners’ pitching depth over the last few seasons has drawn many teams into trade talks and it was almost exactly a year ago that reports surfaced about Boston’s interest in the Seattle rotation.  Nothing materialized between the two teams then, but Ryan Divish and Adam Jude of the Seattle Times report that earlier this offseason, the Red Sox offered first baseman Triston Casas for either Bryce Miller or Bryan Woo.  However, these “exploratory talks” then “didn’t progress any further,” as the M’s don’t have interest in trading from their rotation unless it is something of a last resort.

Given the contrasting strengths and weaknesses of the Mariners and Red Sox, a pitching-for-hitting swap would seem like an ideal answer to both team’s needs.  While Miller or Woo might not be precisely the kind of ace the Sox are looking for to reinforce their rotation, obviously both are talented young arms with upside and team control — neither Miller or Woo is eligible for arbitration yet, and both are controlled through the 2029 season.  Likewise, Casas is controlled through 2028 and has already shown glimpses of his potential at the MLB level.

Seattle president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has consistently turned down past offers for Miller, Woo, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, and Luis Castillo.  Recent reports suggest that the M’s are at least open to hearing what teams have to say about Castillo (the oldest and highest-paid member of the rotation), but Divish and Jude write that “the Mariners….are not actively shopping Castillo.”

Nothing is stopping Dipoto from hearing what teams might have to say, just in case someone steps forth with an offer too good to refuse.  However, Dipoto told Divish and other reporters today that “our initial reluctance to any type of deeper discussions on trading starting pitching has probably resulted in a lot fewer phone calls than we’ve usually fielded to this point in the offseason.”

The result is perhaps something of a stalemate, as the Mariners are waiting for rival teams to lower their asking prices and other clubs are waiting for the M’s to become more open to the idea of trading from the rotation depth.  Things could evolve once some free agent pitchers come off the board, or perhaps if the Mariners themselves added a pitcher in the form of Roki Sasaki.  While virtually every team in baseball will be making an appeal to the Japanese ace now that his posting window is officially open, Seattle’s track record with both pitching development and star Japanese players would seemingly put the M’s move above most teams in the bidding process.

In the interim, it seems as though the Mariners will continue to focus on trying to trade from its minor league depth, except as Dipoto notes, “it’s the time where prospects aren’t a driver, where just about everybody is focused on major league players.  And I don’t know why that seems different to me now than it usually does, and maybe that too changes in a week or two with the free agent market really opening up.”

Since shortstop J.P. Crawford is the only established member of the Mariners’ infield, landing a promising first base talent like Casas would go a long way towards shoring up the infield and the shaky lineup as a whole.  That said, the Mariners have at least a part-time first base option already in Luke Raley, who looks to be getting a good chunk of playing time against right-handed pitching.

Since the M’s have been linked to such second or third base trade candidates as Nico Hoerner or Alec Bohm, it could be that Seattle might be trying to address one of those positions first before turning to the comparatively easier-to-fill position of first base.  An industry source told Divish and Jude that the Mariners could look into trying to add a third team into talks with the Cubs about Hoerner, perhaps to help cover some of the money owed in the remaining two years of Hoerner’s contract.

From Boston’s perspective, trading Casas wouldn’t necessarily create a vacancy at first base.  Rafael Devers is a subpar defender at third base, and reportedly the Sox have at least considered moving him to first base in order to open up the hot corner either for one of Boston’s up-and-coming infield prospects, or perhaps for a big free agent like Alex Bregman.  This remains a speculative topic for now, as manager Alex Cora told reporters (including Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe) today that he hasn’t spoken with Devers about a position change, and Cora in fact praised Devers’ third base work in 2024 as “outstanding.”

Then again, there is no shortage of gamesmanship going on during the offseason, as it was just last month that Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow downplayed the idea of trading Casas.  Reports then surfaced this past weekend that the Sox were considering the possibility of dealing Casas for pitching, and this apparent offer for Miller or Woo only reinforces the idea that Casas is far from an untouchable part of the Red Sox roster.  Of course, this also isn’t to say that Casas is going to be moved for anything less than a premium return.

Mariners Reportedly Willing To Listen To Offers On Luis Castillo

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The Mariners have “expressed willingness” to listen to offers on veteran right-hander Luis Castillo, according to a report from Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. The report comes on the heels of Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto referring to dealing from the rotation as the club’s “Plan Z” for the offseason back in October. Indeed, it seems as though the club still isn’t necessarily enthused about the idea of parting with one of its starters, as Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reported this evening that while “anything is possible,” the club’s “public and private” stance entering the Winter Meetings is that they don’t want to trade from their rotation.

Even so, that the club is at least somewhat open to offers on Castillo is fairly notable. The right-hander, 32 next week, has three more guaranteed years on the extension he signed with the Mariners prior to the 2023 season. He’ll earn a $24.15MM salary each year from 2025 to 2027, and the contract also includes a possible option for the 2028 season. If Castillo misses more than 130 days due to a UCL procedure in 2025-2027, the contract includes a $5MM team option for the 2028 campaign. Otherwise, the contract includes a $25MM vesting option for 2028 that vests if Castillo throws at 180 innings during the 2027 season and receives confirmation from an independent physician after the season that he hasn’t suffered an injury that’d require him to begin the following year on the injured list.

In short, that somewhat complex deal guarantees Castillo $72.45MM over the next three seasons which could rise to $97.45MM over four years if his option vests. Notably, Castillo’s contract also included a full no-trade clause for the first three years of the deal that will remain in place through the end of the 2025 season, meaning the righty would have to approve of any trade he’s involved in. It’s unclear whether Castillo would be willing to entertain a trade out of Seattle or what his preferences might be, and it’s possible that the right-hander’s no-trade clause could render any trade talks moot if he’s unwilling to leave the Mariners.

Should Castillo and the Mariners both be open to a trade, however, it’s easy to see why he might be of interest to rival clubs. The righty’s $72.45MM guarantee over the next three years isn’t much more than what left-hander Yusei Kikuchi received from the Angels this winter, and Castillo compares quite well to the veteran lefty. Not only is he a year and a half younger than Kikuchi, but the right-hander has also roundly outperformed him on the field. Kikuchi’s pitched to a 3.96 ERA with a 3.78 FIP in 64 starts for the Astros and Blue Jays over the past two years, while Castillo has posted an excellent 3.43 ERA and 3.72 FIP in 74 starts since he first donned a Mariners uniform following the 2022 trade deadline. Given the ever-escalating prices on the starting pitching market and the hesitance many teams have shown engaging on pitchers encumbered by the Qualifying Offer, Castillo could be an attractive alternative to mid-market players like Sean Manaea and Nick Pivetta who remain available in free agency.

That’s not to say there are no causes for concern in Castillo’s profile, of course. Castillo has lost nearly two ticks of velocity off his fastball since his peak with the Reds, and since arriving in Seattle his once-superb groundball rate has fallen off to a more pedestrian 39.1% over the past two years. His strikeout rate dipped similarly this year, settling in at just 24.3% in 2024. That left him as a more-or-less league average starter by both results and peripherals this year, as he pitched to a 3.64 ERA with a 3.91 FIP and a 3.79 SIERA in 175 1/3 innings of work. That said, Castillo helps to make up for his diminishing results with volume. He’s been something of a workhorse throughout his career, pitching at least 150 innings in every wire-to-wire, 162-game season of his career while averaging nearly 178 innings per season since the start of the 2021 campaign.

Overall, Castillo is a solid, durable arm who can slot cleanly into the front or middle of virtually any club’s rotation. That should make him an attractive piece in a hot market for starting pitching, and if Castillo is open to a trade it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Mariners leverage their excellent rotation to help address other areas of the roster, even as they express reluctance to do so. After all, it’s worth noting that the club may face a budget crunch this winter that makes dealing Castillo and the $24.15MM he’s owed more palatable. While the Mariners are expected to enter 2025 with a payroll higher than their 2024 figure, that’s a point they’ve already reached: RosterResource projects Seattle for a $146MM payroll in 2025, and their year-end payroll this year was $144MM. Even with a small increase to payroll expected, that seemingly leaves very little room for the club to add salary.

That could pose a problem for the Mariners, given their reported interest in adding two infielders this winter. The club has a reported preference to add at the infield corners but has also been connected to middle infielders in the rumor mill, such as Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner and KBO infielder Hyeseong Kim. Cubs first baseman Cody Bellinger and Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm are among the other players the Mariners have reportedly considered on the trade market, and the club also reportedly has interest in reuniting with either Justin Turner or Carlos Santana in free agency.

Of course, adding any of those players would cost money, and without a more substantial increase to the budget than expected it could be a tall order to add two of them. The Mariners would surely love to move on from the final year of either Mitch Haniger’s or Mitch Garver’s contract, but both sluggers have negative trade value coming off rough seasons. A Castillo trade, by contrast, likely could bring back a notable return while also clearing plenty of money off the club’s books to afford additional financial flexibility this winter to either dabble in free agency or take on salary on the trade market.

Mariners Place Luis Castillo On Injured List

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The Mariners placed Luis Castillo on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to September 9, with a left hamstring strain. GM Justin Hollander told reporters this evening that the strain is of a Grade 2 variety. Seattle also transferred reliever Yimi García from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list, ending his season. Catcher Seby Zavala was selected onto the 40-man roster.

Castillo exited his start against the Cardinals on Sunday after three innings because of the injury. He went for imaging yesterday. That revealed the strain, which is evidently of moderate severity. Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times tweets that Castillo received a platelet-rich plasma injection and is hopeful of returning when first eligible.

That may well be determined as much by how the team plays over the next two weeks as by Castillo’s recovery. The M’s are holding onto faint playoff hopes. They’re tied with the Tigers and Red Sox at three games back of the Twins for the American League’s last Wild Card spot. Seattle is 4.5 games behind the Astros in the AL West.

Castillo would first be eligible to return on September 24. There’d be five games left in the regular season — two at Houston and a three-game set at home against the A’s. Seattle would surely need to make up ground on either the Twins or Astros before then to have any hope of a playoff berth. If they don’t do so, there’d be little reason to get Castillo back before the end of the year.

It’s the first injured list stint in two years for the three-time All-Star. Castillo hadn’t missed a start since the M’s acquired him at the 2022 deadline. He pitched 11 times down the stretch that year and made 33 appearances last season. Castillo is tied for the MLB lead with 30 starts this year. He owns a 3.64 ERA with a 24.3% strikeout rate across 175 1/3 innings. While this has been a slight step down from last season — when he finished fifth in Cy Young balloting — Castillo remains one of the more valuable starters in the game. Emerson Hancock will probably take his rotation spot alongside George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller.

Seattle also loses one of their top relievers for the year. García has been shut down from throwing after experiencing elbow soreness during a recent bullpen session, the team announced (relayed on X by Daniel Kramer of MLB.com). The right-hander has been on the IL since August 24 due to elbow inflammation. García, an impending free agent, has been on the IL twice this year with elbow problems.

García had pitched very well for the Blue Jays earlier in the season. He turned in a 2.70 ERA with a 36.5% strikeout rate across 30 innings before the M’s acquired him in a deal sending rookie outfielder Jonatan Clase to Toronto. That didn’t pan out for the Mariners. García managed only nine innings in a Seattle uniform and allowed six runs. There’s no indication he’ll need any kind of surgery, but a forearm injury is a frustrating end to what had been shaping up as a strong walk year for the veteran righty.

Zavala returns to the MLB roster for his third stint of the season. The out-of-options catcher has hit .154/.214/.282 in 18 games. He’s hitting .188/.325/.376 across 33 appearances with Triple-A Tacoma. Zavala can work as a third catcher behind Cal Raleigh and Mitch Garver for the time being. It may be a short stay on the roster, though, as Seattle could jettison a position player to add a 14th pitcher to the active roster once they need a fifth starter this weekend.

Luis Castillo To Undergo MRI For Hamstring Strain

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Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo left Sunday’s game due to a strain in his left hamstring, and will undergo an MRI on Monday to assess the damage.  Castillo told reporters (including Adam Jude of the Seattle Times) via interpreter that some discomfort first arose in the fourth inning when he moved on the mound to evade a throw that never came from catcher Mitch Garver on an Ivan Herrera stolen base.  Two pitches after Herrera’s steal, Castillo grimaced on the mound after his follow-through, and left the game after a visit from trainers.

“The discomfort’s there.  Tomorrow we’re going to get some [tests] done, just to see what it is, but hopefully it’s not too bad,” Castillo said.

With the Mariners battling for either the AL West title or a wild card, losing Castillo would put a serious dent in the club’s playoff hopes.  Seattle ranks at or near the bottom of the league in several major offensive categories, yet the M’s have been carried by their elite rotation.  The rotation has been both effective and durable — of the 21 starters who have tossed at least 161 1/3 MLB innings this season, four of them (Castillo, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, and Bryce Miller) pitch for Seattle.

Bryan Woo has had a pair of IL stints, with Emerson Hancock stepping into the rotation in Woo’s place to take nine starts.  Hancock (currently at Triple-A) is the likeliest candidate to return to the staff if Castillo has to go on the injured list, yet the former top prospect hasn’t been very consistent against big league hitters.  Hancock has a 4.76 ERA in 45 1/3 innings and a 4.50 ERA in 12 innings in his 2023 debut season, and only a 13.8% strikeout rate in his brief MLB career.

While Hancock is a better sixth starter than most clubs possess, there’s still no easy way to replace Castillo.  The three-time All-Star hasn’t been quite as effective as he was when finishing fifth in AL Cy Young Award voting in 2023, but Castillo still has a 3.64 ERA over 175 1/3 innings this year.  His strikeout and walk rates are still above the league average, and while Castillo’s four-seamer has dropped in velocity from 96.3mph in 2023 to 95.5mph this season, it remains one of the most effective pitches in baseball.

Gerrit Cole Wins American League Cy Young Award

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As expected, Gerrit Cole is the 2023 Cy Young winner in the American League. The Baseball Writers Association of America announced the Yankee star has won the award. Former Minnesota right-hander Sonny Gray was the runner-up, while Toronto’s Kevin Gausman took home third place.

There wasn’t a ton of intrigue, as Cole received all 30 first-place votes. While he’s a six-time All-Star and two-time ERA champion, this is his first career Cy Young. No AL pitcher topped Cole’s 209 innings, while he led Junior Circuit pitchers (minimum 150 innings) with a 2.63 ERA. He was sixth among that group with a 27% strikeout rate and trailed only Gausman and Pablo López with 222 punchouts overall.

That well-rounded dominance made Cole an easy call as the AL’s best pitcher in the eyes of voters. It’s his sixth top five finish and the third time he has been a finalist, as he’d twice before finished as runner-up. Having at least one Cy Young on his résumé could go a long way towards burnishing an eventual Hall of Fame case.

For now, the 33-year-old will look to replicate this year’s success in hopes of leading the Yankees back to the postseason. Despite Cole turning in one of the best seasons of his career, New York floundered midseason and finished barely above .500. Cole will be in the Bronx for at least one more year. He’s headed into year five of a nine-year, $324MM free agent contract. He has the ability to opt out after next season.

Gray received 20 second-place votes to earn the highest Cy Young finish of his career. It was well timed for the three-time All-Star, who hit free agency a couple weeks ago. Gausman secured seven second-place votes and was the most common selection for third. Stray second-place votes went to Luis Castillo and Zach Eflin, although Baltimore’s Kyle Bradish edged out that duo for fourth in overall balloting.

Others to receive at least one vote: López, George Kirby, Framber Valdez, Chris Bassitt, Félix Bautista and Chris Martin. The full results are available at the BBWAA website.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Mariners Planning To Use a Six-Man Rotation

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At some point in the coming days, the Mariners are planning to shift to a six-man rotation, president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto told Adam Jude of The Seattle Times. Despite season-ending injuries to Robbie Ray, Marco Gonzales, and Easton McGee, the Mariners boast one of the deepest rotations in baseball. As Dipoto put it, “Our one through six in the starting rotation … can pitch with anybody in the league.” That being said, most of Seattle’s starting pitchers are young and inexperienced; in other words, they could benefit from some extra rest.

The current starting five consists of Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Bryce Miller, Logan Gilbert, and Emerson Hancock. Bryan Woo is expected to return from the injured list and rejoin the rotation early next week (Twitter link). Of those six, only Castillo and Gilbert had pitched a full major league season before this year. Miller, Hancock, and Woo are rookies, while Kirby, still just 25 years old, is on pace to pitch his first qualified season. He threw 130 innings last year in his rookie campaign.

As Jude reports, the Mariners plan to go with a six-man rotation once Woo comes back from the IL. He could have supplanted Hancock, who has struggled in his first two big league starts (5.40 ERA, 9.8% strikeout rate), but it seems Seattle is comfortable giving the top prospect a longer leash. However, Dipoto did mention that the team might “piggyback” Woo and Hancock down the stretch after trying out a six-man rotation for a week or two.

Additional rest will be most beneficial for Seattle’s young arms, but it should help the rest of the rotation, too. Castillo has been one of the more durable starters in baseball over the last six years, making 158 starts with a 3.58 ERA. Only six pitchers have thrown more innings in that time, so he could certainly use some time off. The same goes for Gilbert, who had thrown 338 2/3 big league innings before his 26th birthday. Since making his debut in 2021, he ranks tenth in the majors in starts and 15th in innings pitched. Dipoto acknowledged that Castillo, Gilbert, and Kirby will have to shoulder plenty of responsibility should the Mariners make the playoffs, and some extra rest now should help them stay fresh for a potential postseason run.

However, while this arrangement will benefit everyone in the rotation, it will make things harder on the bullpen. If the Mariners carry six starting pitchers, they will only have room for seven relievers on the 26-man roster. Furthermore, it’s not as if Seattle’s young starters have been pitching especially deep into games. Woo and Hancock are averaging exactly five innings per start, while Miller is averaging five and a third. Castillo, Kirby, and Gilbert are averaging about six innings per start, but those three will pitch less often with a six-man rotation. Thus, the bullpen will have a heavier load to carry for as long as the six-man rotation experiment lasts.

Thankfully for Seattle, they have one of the best bullpens in baseball. Mariners relievers rank second in ERA and third in FanGraphs WAR, and they’ve still had excellent results since losing closer Paul Sewald, pitching to a 1.89 ERA since the trade deadline. Moreover, they have essentially been using a seven-man bullpen as it is. Andrés Muñoz, Matt Brash, Trent Thornton, Tayler Saucedo, Justin Topa, Isaiah Campbell, and Gabe Speier have combined to pitch 45 2/3 of the 47 2/3 innings the Mariners bullpen has thrown since August 1. The Mariners will be counting on those seven to handle a difficult workload for the next while, but eventually, they should get some relief if Woo and Hancock do, in fact, move into a piggyback arrangement.

Gonzales and Ray are expected to rejoin the club at some point in 2024, at which point the Mariners will have an embarrassment of riches in the starting rotation. Gonzales is under team control through 2025, while Ray is signed through 2026. Castillo, meanwhile, is signed through 2027 with a vesting option for 2028. Gilbert is also under team control through 2027, Kirby through 2028, and the rookies through at least 2029 (pending further optional assignments).

With so many capable starters (and so many arms that will need a 40-man spot over the winter), there’s a good chance Dipoto will look to make a trade. The Mariners were reportedly willing to consider dealing one of their starting pitchers this summer, and they’ll have a better opportunity to do so over the offseason. The Cardinals, who have a surplus of young hitters but not nearly enough pitching, could be an interesting trade partner. They will be looking to add multiple starters this winter, and they were already linked to Gilbert earlier this year.

Mariners Could Deal From Rotation, Open To Offers On Paul Sewald

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There’s been ample speculation surrounding the Mariners’ excellent young rotation since it was reported that the Cardinals had interest in 26-year-old righty Logan Gilbert. And while a trade involving one of Seattle’s talented arms could be a long shot due to the lofty asking price associated with all controllable young starters, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the M’s would at least consider dealing from their stock in order to acquire a young hitter with several years of control remaining.

Seattle’s rotation features veteran ace Luis Castillo and a quartet of touted young righties: Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo. Gilbert and Kirby have largely established themselves as quality big league arms, while Miller and Woo have impressed during their rookie efforts.

Gilbert, sporting a 3.88 ERA, 24.4% strikeout rate and 4.4% walk rate in 20 starts, is controllable for four more years beyond the current season. Kirby (3.49 ERA, 22.6% strikeout rate, 2.4% walk rate) has an additional five seasons of control remaining. Miller (3.96 ERA, 23.9% strikeout rate, 5.1% walk rate in 75 innings) and Woo (4.91 ERA but a 28.9% strikeout rate and 7% walk rate in 44 innings) would each come with six seasons of control beyond the current year. Both Miller and Woo were ranked among the sport’s top 100 prospects at the time of their respective promotions.

The price to acquire any of those arms would surely be steep; not only would the Mariners be seeking a controllable bat to plug into the lineup — they’d likely be seeking a high-end, all-around contributor. Reds fans have regularly asked in MLBTR chats about the possibility of shipping Jonathan India to the Mariners for one of those starters, for instance, but league-average offense at second base and three-plus years of control likely isn’t enough to sway Seattle president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto to part with anywhere from four to six seasons of control over a big league starter. (Notably, Rosenthal suggests a trade of India is far likelier in the offseason than in the next few days.) The same could well apply to Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson — another roughly league-average hitter with three-plus seasons of club control remaining.

Should the Mariners find an offer to their liking on any of their talented young arms, Rosenthal suggests they could call up Emerson Hancock from Double-A. The former sixth overall pick has a 4.26 ERA with solid but not eye-popping strikeout and walk numbers over 19 starts there. Rosenthal also floats the possibility of Seattle acquiring an impending free agent starter — perhaps in a Teoscar Hernandez swap with another win-now club — to step into a rotation spot vacated by a trade of a controllable arm. Marco Gonzales is currently on the injured list but could return later in the season; perhaps Robbie Ray will make it back from Tommy John surgery at some point next year.

While a deal involving one of Seattle’s controllable starters would be tough to pull off, trades of shorter-term veterans could be easier to line up. Reliever Paul Sewald is surely of interest to a number of clubs, and Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported tonight (on Twitter) that Seattle is signaling an openness to moving him.

Sewald has been one of the best relievers in the sport since breaking out with Seattle in 2021. He owns a 2.90 ERA in 170 2/3 innings in an M’s uniform. The right-hander has been effective in all three seasons, including an even 3.00 ERA over 42 frames this year. He’s striking out just under 36% of opponents against a modest 7.9% walk rate.

The 33-year-old righty is playing this season on a $4.1MM arbitration salary. He’s eligible for that process once more before hitting free agency during the 2024-25 offseason. The asking price on Sewald obviously wouldn’t be as extreme as those on the M’s starters, but Seattle would surely aim high in those talks as well.

MLB Announces 2023 All-Star Rosters

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The starters for the 2023 All-Star Game were already announced earlier this week, and today the league revealed the reserve selections and the pitching staffs for the National League and American League teams.  Fan balloting determined the game’s starters, while the reserves and pitchers were picked by a combination of the player ballot and selections from the league office.

This won’t be the final list of players involved, as some more substitutions will be announced later for players who are injured or who have opted not to participate.  Every team must have at least one player represented at the Midsummer Classic, and the starting pitchers for the game will be announced on July 10.

Of note, Shohei Ohtani will be in the game as both a DH and as a pitcher for the third consecutive season.  The Braves led all teams with eight All-Stars, while the Rangers weren’t far behind with six players chosen.  This year’s All-Star Game takes place in Seattle on July 11.

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