Seattle Mariners Insider Offers Blunt Assessment of a Possible Luis Castillo Trade
Through the midday on Wednesday, rumors began to percolate around the Seattle Mariners. There were reports that the M's were listening to offers on Luis Castillo and that the Boston Red Sox were hard-charging after him.
The Mariners have said all along that they don't want to trade a starting pitcher, so what gives? The market, in all likelihood. After Blake Snell signed a $182 million deal, Max Fried signed a $218 million contract and Nathan Eovaldi got $75 million, it's clear that the prices for starting pitchers are high. With Castillo not even due $70 million in salary over the next three years, teams are looking at his deal as a bargain and giving the Mariners more calls.
In a story for the Seattle Times, insider Ryan Divish offered a blunt assessment of where the M's are at with regards to a possible Castillo trade.
The Mariners are in a position in which they don’t want to or feel like they have to trade Castillo. But they would do so for the right return.
The Mariners didn't make any major moves during the MLB Winter Meetings. But there could be moves coming. Here's the latest from @ryandivish https://t.co/ReHlirZThQ
— Seattle Times Sports (@SeaTimesSports) December 12, 2024
Divish is right. It's unfortunate that it's gotten to this point though. The Mariners are spending significantly less than they spent on payroll back in 2018, and a trade of Castillo would help alleviate already questionable payroll concerns, allowing them to accomplish other things.
The Mariners are reportedly interested in free agent pitcher Roki Sasaki out of Japan. They won't know about his future until the middle of January, but should they land him, all bets are off as to what they'd do in the rotation.
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