Since 2022, the Seattle Mariners have built arguably the best rotation the organization has ever seen. Ace Luis Castillo was a blockbuster addition in 2022, and the rest of their rotation, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryce Miller, and Bryan Woo, were all drafted and developed in Seattle’s farm system. The offense has continuously been the major struggle for Seattle. They are frequently unable to help their pitchers by getting even just one run.
Despite that, the pitching has been so good that it has held Seattle in the postseason hunt for the past four seasons.
Would it make sense to trade from that? Yes and no. Your answer lies somewhere in between. Jerry Dipoto and Co. have maintained their stance on trading starting pitching being their ‘Plan Z’. Dipoto was on MLB Network today expressing their reluctance to even engage in conversations about trading starters. Instead, they prefer to focus on trades that involve their highly ranked prospects. The Mariners’ real problem is money, of which they have little to none.
Big contracts aren’t something the Mariners do, only having done so a handful of times. In the Seattle Dipoto era, the largest contract given to a free-agent hitter is Mitch Garver‘s two-year, $24 million deal.
Mariners Open to Trading Luis Castillo
Mariners Reportedly Willing To Listen To Offers On Luis Castillo https://t.co/sy4yxyzUEx pic.twitter.com/yoOKv3bbDA
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) December 9, 2024
Reports have also been circulating about the Mariners’ willingness to listen to trade offers on Luis Castillo. The 2022 deal for Castillo, 31, is already one of the best trades in franchise history. His acquisition helped change the trajectory of the 2022 drought-ending season. His performance against Toronto (7 1/3 IP, 0 ER, 5K) in the Wild Card will not be forgotten by any Mariners fan anytime soon.
The problem is that Castillo is getting paid by Seattle. He’s earning $24 million until 2027, with an option for 2028. That would put him around $70M and $90M if his option is picked up. His deal also includes a no-trade clause, which he could activate at any time if discussions got that far. His stance on being traded is unclear since he did sign an extension almost immediately after getting to Seattle.
But what would a Castillo trade even look like? Well, since his extension, the market has inflated like it does every year. Pitchers who Castillo has greatly outperformed are making almost as much or more than he is. With that being said, Castillo is in no way a salary dump and could provide immediate value to whatever team he ends up on if dealt. But, Castillo’s departure would leave a gaping hole in the rotation, and you would also have to replace him.
Seattle doesn’t have any top pitching prospects who would be majors-ready until around 2027 or 2028. You could ride with sixth starter Emerson Hancock, who has shown flashes of success at the big league level, but ultimately he’s a step down from the rest of the guys. There just aren’t a lot of in-house options. Thankfully, Dipoto, nicknamed ‘Trader Jerry’ is no stranger to doing just that.
Trade Options
The Mariners were rumored to be in on Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki, but it appears that ship has sailed. One name the Mariners could look at is the Philadelphia Phillies‘ Cristopher Sánchez. In his fourth season, the 27-year-old All-Star pitched to a 3.32 ERA in 31 games. The Mariners are already rumored to be interested in Phillies’ third baseman Alec Bohm.
That would make a package deal of sorts a more appealing option. Sanchez is making $5 million annually, with Bohm making $748,000. This would save the Mariners roughly $19 million. The Phillies would surely be reluctant to part ways with a pair of All-Stars, so Seattle would have to throw in some of their top prospects to get the deal done.
Photo Credit: © Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
The post Mariners Open to Trade Offers for Star Pitcher appeared first on Last Word On Baseball.