Over the weekend, The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier reported that the Mariners have been keen to entertain gives on Luis Castillo. Commerce chatter has picked up within the few days since then. Daniel Kramer of MLB.com writes that the M’s have obtained a better quantity of commerce calls since Max Fried agreed to an eight-year cope with the Yankees on Tuesday.
Castillo, who turns 32 immediately, appears to be the one member of the Seattle rotation who’ll be out there. President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has repeatedly shot down the thought of buying and selling from his younger quartet of Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller. The M’s reportedly rebuffed the Purple Sox when Boston floated a framework of Triston Casas for certainly one of their younger starters.
Jon Morosi of the MLB Community recommended yesterday that the Purple Sox and Mariners remained in conversations about Seattle’s beginning pitching. Boston might be unwilling to surrender Casas for Castillo, nonetheless. To that finish, Speier relayed final night time {that a} supply knowledgeable him there was no traction on a deal that might contain these two gamers.
Whereas Castillo is a much less interesting goal than Seattle’s controllable arms, he ought to have optimistic commerce worth in his personal proper. He’s coming off one other productive season. Castillo began 30 occasions and labored to a 3.64 earned run common over 175 1/3 innings. He punched out 24.3% of batters confronted towards a stable 6.5% stroll share.
That’s a slight step again from his typical manufacturing, as he mixed for a 3.47 ERA with a 26% strikeout charge over the previous three seasons. Even when this wasn’t his finest 12 months, Castillo appears the a part of a mid-rotation starter. He has topped 150 innings in every of the final six full seasons. Castillo’s fastball sits within the 95-96 MPH vary. He nonetheless has a greater than common strikeout and stroll profile.
The differentiators between Castillo and his rotation mates are his contract and age. He’s signed for 3 extra seasons at $22.75MM yearly. The deal incorporates a ’28 vesting choice valued at $25MM if Castillo reaches 180 innings in 2027 and finishes that 12 months wholesome. There’s some safety for the staff within the occasion he suffers a big arm damage. If Castillo requires surgical procedure to restore the UCL in his throwing elbow and misses greater than 130 days, there’d be a conditional $5MM membership choice for 2028.
Leaving the choices apart, the contract has $68.25MM in ensures for his age 32-34 seasons. That’s in all probability rather less than what he’d make if he have been a free agent this offseason. Castillo is extra constant than Yusei Kikuchi, who obtained $63MM going into his age-34 season. He has comparable numbers to Nathan Eovaldi, who simply inked a $75MM deal for ages 35-37.
One complicating issue: Castillo’s deal features a full no-trade clause by way of the tip of subsequent season. The commerce safety goes away on the finish of the 12 months (although he would obtain a $1MM task bonus if he’s traded after 2025). Kramer writes that the Mariners have knowledgeable the righty that they’re fielding extra curiosity. The report doesn’t shed any gentle to which groups, if any, Castillo would approve a commerce.
If he’s amenable to shifting, the Mariners ought to be capable of offload most or all the contract whereas netting a legit return. A possible cornerstone bat like Casas is a stretch, however it’s cheap to anticipate some sort of quick lineup assist. It’d additionally open budgetary area for the entrance workplace so as to add to the offense in free company. Ryan Divish and Adam Jude of the Seattle Instances have reported that the M’s are working with round $15-20MM in payroll room; Kramer suggests the identical in immediately’s report at MLB.com. Pushing that nearer to $40MM would open much more alternatives for Dipoto and his employees to strengthen the nook infield.
It might be a notable hit to their rotation. A lot is manufactured from Seattle’s younger beginning pitching, deservedly so. The expertise on the prime does obscure a normal lack of depth past their glorious entrance 5, nonetheless. Emerson Hancock hasn’t proven a lot on the MLB degree regardless of his billing as a former sixth general decide. He has a 4.71 ERA with a 14.3% strikeout charge in 15 large league begins.
Hancock and soft-tossing lefty Jhonathan Diaz are the highest depth choices on the 40-man roster. The Mariners didn’t must depend on both pitcher a lot in 2024. Their entrance 5 mixed for all however 13 begins all season. Even when they create again their complete rotation, it’s unlikely they’ll be fairly so lucky from an damage perspective. Buying and selling Castillo would virtually definitely necessitate a rotation acquisition, both in that commerce or by way of subsequent free agent pickup. One want solely have a look at how rapidly the Marlins’ beginning pitching has been depleted over the previous two seasons for instance of the danger for groups in believing they’ve a rotation surplus. That’s little doubt a think about Seattle’s normal unwillingness to pay attention on their youthful arms.
