Puppies interested in Luis Castillo

The Cubs are one of the teams the Mariners have been talking about Luis Castelloaccording to Ryan Divish and Adam Jude of the Seattle Times. The depth of Chicago’s interest is unknown, or if that interest still exists now that the Cubs have already inked a blockbuster deal to land Kyle Tucker from the Astros. Castillo also has a no-trade clause in his contract, so he could veto it altogether if he has no interest in going to Chicago.

Given that the Cubs were known to be on the hunt for pitching, however, it would make sense for them to at least check out what appears to be an increasingly available trade candidate. Rumors about Castillo’s availability have been circulating in recent days, as while Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has publicly downplayed the idea of ​​trading up from Seattle’s rotation depth, it’s thought that Castillo could be the most available of the five starters . The 32-year-old Castillo is at least five years older than anyone else George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryan WooOR Bryce Millerand much more expensive: Castillo is owed $68.25 million in guaranteed money from 2025-27, plus a $25 million vesting option for 2028 that becomes guaranteed based on health and an innings threshold.

This salary could be the main reason why the M’s would be open to trading Castillo, as the club is known to operate within rather limited salary parameters. Divish and Jude note that the Mariners are thought to have about $15 million in cap space to spend, and for a team with several needs to address offensively, their options for buyouts or other trades expand significantly if Castillo’s contract was out from the accounting books. Freeing up some money could allow the M’s to undertake a more comprehensive search Christian Walkerthat the Mariners have had “at the top of their wish list since the start of the offseason,” Divish and Jude write.

A deal that saw Castillo go to Wrigleyville could also logically bring at least one bat back in Seattle’s direction. The M’s have already been linked to the Cubs’ second baseman Nico Hoernertherefore a trade involving the two of them (if not necessarily one-to-one) would meet the needs of both teams. Hoerner is owed $23.5 million over the next few seasons, so that represents some salary compensation if Chicago absorbs all of Castillo’s contract.

On the other hand, sending Isaac Paredes Houston in Tucker’s trade package has already cost the Cubs a starting infielder, so Chicago may now be less willing to move Hoerner. Better perspective Matt Shaw is seen as the most likely candidate to take over at third base for Paredes, and while James Triandos is another highly touted youngster who could be ready for the big leagues at second base, handing two infield jobs to rookies is a risk for the Puppies.

Get Castillo for Cody Bellinger OR Seiya Suzuki would be a better fit for Chicago in managing its outfield depth, but the Mariners have already done that Julius Rodriguez, Randy ArozarenaAND Vittorio Robles scheduled for the start of work. The M’s have Luca Raley set for at least part-time duty at first base e Mitch Haniger also written to DH. That said, the Mariners have such a large hitting need that it’s certainly not beyond Dipoto to target a big outfield bat and then get creative in inserting that bat into the lineup, or perhaps try to deploy Raley or Haniger to land the domestic help Seattle most clearly needs.

Installation of Castillo together Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillonand the newly signed Matthew Boyd would suddenly give the Cubs one of the most attractive rotations in baseball. There would also be plenty of other pitching available, as Castillo’s acquisition would transform the starting five candidates Javier Assad, Ben Brown, Jordan Wicksor the best prospect Horton falls in deep arms. Speculatively speaking, one of these younger depth arms could also be sent to Seattle in a hypothetical Castillo trade, to give the Mariners a ready-made replacement for the new vacancy in their rotation.