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 list of options. Opening Day is still eight weeks’ away, of course, so there’s plenty of time for the Mariners to pivot back to a Castillo deal if circumstances (i.e. injuries, a drop in asking prices) should change either for the M’s or a mystery team.
Perhaps as an example, the Twins hadn’t been considered as a potential landing spot for Castillo, but The Athletic’s Dan Hayes hears from a Twins source that reports that Minnesota did indeed check in with the Mariners about the veteran righty. It doesn’t appear to be any more than a due diligence exploration, however, as Hayes suggests that Castillo’s contract is too pricey for the Twins’ liking.
Minnesota is also working within payroll restrictions, as Hayes writes that the Twins may have around $5MM in additional spending space for 2025. Multiple reports suggest that the Twins would first have to trade some contracts off the books in order to make space for new acquisitions, which is why Christian Vazquez and Chris Paddack have been oft-mentioned trade candidates.
It was just over a year ago that the Twins and Mariners combined on a prominent trade that sent Polanco to Seattle in the first place, so the two teams have a recent working relationship. Still, the two teams are somewhat in the same boat of trying to both fix some clear needs on their rosters while also spending as little as possible, leaving little common ground on the trade front. Minnesota has been more recently linked to Dylan Cease’s market, and while prying Cease away from the Padres won’t be easy, his $13.75MM salary for just the 2025 season (Cease is a free agent next winter) is a better financial fit for the Twins’ books.