One of the worst-kept secrets in baseball this winter is that the Mariners are in need of infield help this winter. If the 2024 season started today, the club would Justice Crawford Locked in at shortstop, but little sure in the rest of the diamond. The first base may be occupied by a platoon Luke Reilly and Taylor LocklearThe latter struggled in 16 coffee games with Seattle last year. Things will be more dangerous at second and third base. Dylan Moore Able to play both positions, he could become an everyday player for the club after playing 135 games last year, but given his impressive versatility and ability against one-handed pitches, he may be better suited in a super utility role . Ryan Bliss, Austin Shentonand Leo Rivas Both are young, interesting hitters who could debut in the majors in 2024, but they didn’t even reach 100 major league appearances last year, and relying on a full-time role would be risky.
The glaring need for an infielder or two has the Mariners considering a move they’ve long resisted pulling the trigger on: trading away from their vaunted starting rotation. Some believe Seattle has the best starting rotation in baseball. George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryce Millerand Brian Wu Forming a proven, controllable roster of young starters and veteran right-handers that most teams could only dream of Luis Castillo He has served as a veteran anchor in the club’s rotation since being acquired from the Reds after the 2022 trade deadline. While the Mariners still seem unlikely to give up on any young players in the rotation, they have at least begun listening to offers for Castillo, who has attracted attention due to his fairly affordable contract and consistent above-average production. interest from the alliance.
That’s not to say there aren’t potential obstacles to a Castillo trade. While the right-hander excelled in his two full seasons with Seattle, he didn’t quite achieve the same level of success at the front of the rotation as he did earlier in his career with Cincinnati. From 2019 to 2022, Castillo had a 3.46 ERA (132 ERA+) and a nearly 3.43 FIP, and despite his more friendly pitching at home, he had a 3.48 ERA (ERA +110) has been stagnant the past two years, while his 3.86 FIP stands out.
In addition to potential concerns from potential suitors, Castillo also has a full no-trade clause that would allow him to block any trade if he so chooses. The final issue from the Mariners’ perspective is their lack of starting pitching depth behind a quality top-five rotation. Emerson Hancock Castillo would likely be next in line if he were traded, but he struggled in 12 starts last year and the team has little major league-ready starting depth. That could make a team that could offer young starters in addition to the infield a particularly attractive trade partner for Seattle.
So, which teams are best suited to sign the right-hander? Let’s take a look at nine possible options, listed alphabetically between the three tiers:
Best for:
- Blue Jays: The Blue Jays have had a rough offseason so far, as they’ve struck out two in two games Juan Soto and corbyn burns in free agency. Their biggest addition at this point is an infielder Andres JimenezThey secured a trade from the Guardians during the Winter Meetings. With that said, it’s known that they are in the market for starting pitching help, and Castillo would join him in the rotation to form a solid veteran core Kevin Gausman, Jose Berriosand Chris Bassett. What’s more, the Jays have a number of interesting young infielders, such as Davis Schneider, Leo Jimenezand Will Wagner Who the Mariners might be interested in.
- Giants: Giants make big splash with signing before winter meetings start Willie Adams Burns, who reportedly emerged as Burns’ top suitor with Toronto, passed on the right-hander when Burns agreed to a deal with Arizona late Friday night. Castillo would be a great match Logan Webb At the top of San Francisco’s rotation, the Giants have previously expressed a willingness to trade the first baseman Lamont Wade Jr. this winter. Wade, who turns 31 on New Year’s Day, has hit .258/.376/.401 (120 wRC+) with a staggering 15% walk rate over the past two seasons.
- Huang Ying: As with which team Burns plays before hitting free agency in 2024, the Orioles joined the Blue Jays and Giants in their search for a top rotation player now that he’s headed to the desert. Baltimore’s need on the front end may be greater than anywhere else on this list, as 2023 staff ace Kyle Bledish He is not expected to play in the first half of 2025 after surgery at UCL last year. Castillo will step in front Zach Eflin and Grayson Rodriguez For the Orioles, providing some much-needed stability to the Baltimore rotation. In return, the Orioles can provide players with their surplus first base options, e.g. Ryan Mountcastle Maybe even add a young starter, e.g. Cade Povich Help replace Castillo in Seattle’s rotation. Notably, the Orioles are reportedly one of the teams inquiring about the right-hander this winter.
Next level:
- Brave ones: Warriors watched two games Max Fried and Charlie Morton They moved on from their free-agent rotation last month but have yet to make major moves this offseason outside of trades Jorge Soler Go to Angel. Add an arm like Castillo to the later combo Chris Sale and (eventually) Spencer Strider would provide the club with another high-end starter while also providing security for an oft-injured pitching rotation. Beyond prospects, Atlanta doesn’t have much to offer in terms of infield help Nacho Alvarez Jr. But could help supplement the Mariners rotation by providing controllable starters like this Bryce Aird or AJ Smith Schauffer as part of the return.
- Little bears: The Cubs have been linked to Castillo this winter and are looking for a front-end starter to pair with Justin Steele and Shota Imagabut the club’s recent transactions Kyle Tucker The cooperation between the two parties seems to have become complicated. Mariners reportedly interested in Cubs second baseman Nico Horner The Cubs previously could part ways with Horner this winter and use Matt Shaw. Since then, however, the Cubs have fielded third basemen Isaac Paredes To the Astros in exchange for Tucker. With Shaw now designated as Paredes’ backup, the Cubs may be reluctant to give up Hoerner to bolster the Mariners’ infield. Although young starting players such as Javier Assad or Jordan Weeks could help facilitate a trade, it’s hard to imagine Castillo’s trade not bringing some sort of infield help back to Seattle once it’s completed.
- Red Sox: The Red Sox are also one of the teams known to have discussed Castillo with Seattle, with the club specifically trying to reverse the trade involving him, Triston Casasand Masataka Yoshida Eventually shut down by the Mariners. It’s hard to imagine Boston trading Castillo directly one-on-one with Casas, which could make finding games between the two teams difficult. Maybe a deal could still be made to field a smaller infield player, e.g. Vaughan Gleeson or david hamilton Go to Seattle with young starters Kurt Crawfordbut now the Red Sox are bringing Walker Buehler Once he’s in the rotation, other clubs may have more incentive than Boston to reach a deal with Seattle.
Longer shot:
- Dodgers: The Dodgers are not understood to be interested in Castillo, but they are always a threat to upgrade their roster and could certainly benefit from having a steady, inning-eating arm like his join the ranks of high-octane arms , these arms currently pose problems with their durability. Yet even so, the Dodgers’ current infield has little to offer. Maybe Gavin Lux Could be a useful platoon partner for Moore at second base, but even adding a young starter, e.g. Landon Nack Playing alongside Luck seems unlikely to prompt the Mariners to part ways with Castillo.
- metropolis: The Mets were one of the teams linked to Castillo this winter, but they then rounded out their rotation by adding the left-handed pitcher Sean Manaea. At least in theory the club could add Castillo and push Clay Holmes out of their projected rotation and into the bullpen, but considering New York clearly signed Holmes to start, it would be a major surprise even if the Mets have extra players, e.g. Brett Batty and Taylor Megill That would certainly interest Seattle.
- tiger: Detroit could use real front-end arms with Tarik Skubal Next season, and adding mid-rotation veterans Alex Cobb This need is not fully met. The Tigers also recently signed Gleyber Torres Promoting young people’s actions Colt Keith to first base, seemingly leaving the former No. 1 overall draft pick Spencer Torkelson There is no role in the profession. Torkelson would be a high-upside addition who would certainly draw interest from the Mariners as they look for first base help, but it’s unclear whether they would give up Castillo to acquire him, or the Tigers Is there any interest in taking Castillo, who is worth $72.45MM guaranteed for the next three seasons?
