Luis Castillo’s name has swirled in trade rumors for much of the offseason, as since Castillo is far and away the priciest member of the Mariners’ rotation, Seattle has at least been more open to discussing Castillo than any of its other starting pitchers. However, Adam Jude of the Seattle Times writes that a Castillo trade “is less likely now than it was early in the winter,” even if the Mariners will continue to explore other possibilities to build on what might be a mostly set roster.
Infield help was the Mariners’ clearest need heading into the winter, leading to natural speculation that the M’s would move Castillo or another starting pitcher for a clear-cut everyday player that could slide right as an everyday option at first, second, or third base. This said, Seattle president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has long said that the M’s would trade from their rotation only as a last resort, so it might not be any surprise that the club is now moving away from Castillo after addressing its infield needs in free agency.
Jorge Polanco and Donovan Solano were both recently signed to one-year deals, adding a pair of experienced players to the infield mix for $11.25MM in guaranteed money. These expenditures have absorbed much of the limited budget Dipoto had to work with, as Jude reiterates that the Mariners had roughly $15MM in available payroll space this winter. Between this lack of spending ability and nearly league-wide demand for only MLB-caliber talent (rather than prospects) on the trade market, Dipoto’s hands may have been somewhat tied, and he opted to instead run it back with Seattle’s superb rotation rather than take the risk of diminishing the rotation for a hitting upgrade.
On paper, trading Castillo would’ve helped the Mariners both add a bat and cut some payroll, since the right-hander is owed $68.25MM in guaranteed money through the 2027 season. (A vesting option for the 2028 season could add another $25MM in salary if Castillo remains healthy and tosses at least 180 innings in 2027.) That said, Castillo’s salary was also no small consideration for other teams — in trade talks with the Red Sox, Boston was reportedly only willing to move Triston Casas for Castillo if Masataka Yoshida was also sent along with Casas as salary offset.
Several of the teams cited by MLBTR’s Nick Deeds in late December as potential Castillo trade fits have since acquired other pitchers, further narrowing Seattle’s…
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