Seattle Mariners ace Luis Castillo has seen his name surface in trade rumors recently. Seattle has starting pitching depth with George Kirby and Lucas Gilbert ready to take on even more prominent roles.
Given the exorbitant contracts starting pitchers have received this offseason, teams are frothing at the mouth at the idea of trading for Castillo.
Castillo is owed just over $24 million in each of the next three seasons. He also has a $28 player option in 2028, assuming he logs 180 innings the season prior. Those numbers just a few years ago might sound gaudy, but not by today’s standards.
Blake Snell signed a five-year, $182 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Then, Max Fried inked a deal with $218 million with the New York Yankees.
Castillo has watched his ERA rise in each of the last couple of seasons. But he is still regarded at worst as a solid No. 2 option for any rotation and is a workhorse. The 32-year-old righty led the league in 2023 with 33 starts and has between 25 and 33 starts in each of his last five seasons.
Enter the Baltimore Orioles.
Baltimore was playing as well as any team in baseball, with just over a month left in the 2024 season. Sadly for Orioles fans, injuries derailed their hopes of making a deep playoff run despite Corbin Burnes pitching out of his mind.
All Burnes ended up doing was improving his stock with free agency looming. The Orioles’ star pitcher is expected to land a massive contract elsewhere. That will leave a gaping hole in Baltimore’s starting rotation and a potential trade in the future.
Meanwhile, the Orioles have plenty of offense to spare.
Gunnar Henderson, Anthony Santander, Colton Cowser, and Jordan Westburg are all young and incredibly talented. That may allow the Orioles the flexibility to move first baseman Ryan Mountcastle.
Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller pitched a trade idea to help both squads.
Seattle sends RHP Luis Castillo to Baltimore; Baltimore sends 1B Ryan Mountcastle and RHP Alex Pham to Seattle.
This would allow the Mariners some more cap flexibility and add a quality bat in the prime of his career.
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