The Chicago Cubs kickstarted their offseason this past week and likely are not finished yet. Could the team fill one of its holes with another blockbuster deal?
The Cubs and Seattle Mariners have been reported to be talking trade at various points this offseason. Chicago is looking to move second baseman Nico Hoerner and is also shopping OF/1B Cody Bellinger to anyone who will listen.
Seattle wants to upgrade its infield offense. Chicago has three talented starters, but wants another. However, the Cubs have shied away from the bidding for the big-name free-agent hurlers this winter.
There’s been enough smoke between the two teams, but Ryan Divish and Adam Jude of the Seattle Times report that there may be just the inklings of a fire.
According to the report, the Cubs are among the teams that have inquired about Mariners starter Luis Castillo.
Seattle remains reticent to deal away any of their “Big Four” young starting pitchers in Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryce Miller, and Bryan Woo. But they are reportedly willing to deal Castillo, who is in the midst of a five-year, $108 million contract.
Castillo, the one-time ace of the Cincinnati Reds, has been a rock in the Mariners rotation since 2022. The eight-year big-league veteran has a lifetime record of just 73-76, but has a career ERA of 3.56 with 1,331 total strikeouts.
He is also remarkably durable, averaging over 26 starts per season since making his big-league debut in 2017.
Signed through 2027 with a 2028 vesting option, Castillo is set to make between $24 and $25 million a season — not bad value given today’s market.
Whether the Cubs could work a Castillo trade by giving away Bellinger (who is set to make a similar amount of money next season, but is heavily rumored to be going to the New York Yankees) or Hoerner (who won’t be available to play for the first several weeks of 2025 due to injury) remains to be seen.
But it is a trade that would benefit both teams without giving away the youth that both organizations crave.
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