Seattle Mariners GM Revisits 2022 Trade For Ace Pitcher Luis Castillo

Speaking on the "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast, Justin Hollander took a look back at when the team decided to make the big move in 2022.

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Luis Castillo (58) throws against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Busch Stadium on Sept 8. / Jeff Le-Imagn Images

After ending the infamous playoff drought back in 2022, the Seattle Mariners won a wild card series against the Toronto Blue Jays that year. Though they ultimately lost in the American League Division Series to the Houston Astros, it represented a big step forward for the organization at the time.

Part of the reason the M's were able to make the playoffs and win a series that year? The acquisition of Luis Castillo, who had been acquired in a mid-season trade with the Cincinnati Reds. Castillo went 4-2 down the stretch that season for the M's, pitching to a 3.17 ERA. Nicknamed "The Rock," Castillo also dominated the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 1 of the wild card series, setting the tone for the two-game sweep.

Speaking on the "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast this week, Mariners GM Justin Hollander revisited the trade, discussing how difficult it was to part with top prospects Noelvi Marte and Edwin Arroyo, who were moved to Cincinnati.

"Those are painful decisions to make and conversations to have, but in that moment we understood that there was only one Luis Castillo available and we were trying to do something special that year. And we were able to gain not just that year, but a future year of Luis Castillo, and we just didn't feel like the ability to access that kind of talent was available in any other way."

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Castillo also signed a long-term contract extension with the organization shortly after arriving in Seattle, making the deal even more of a home run for the M's. Castillo went 14-9 in the 2023 season, making the All-Star Game.

He went 11-12 this past season with a 3.64 ERA, with his record being mostly a product of the team's inability to hit for much of the season.

Almost 32 years old, there have been trade rumors about Castillo this offseason, but he has a no-trade clause and the M's have been adamant about not dealing a starting pitcher.

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