The New York Mets have several holes to fill in their starting rotation this winter. President of baseball operations David Stearns could simply sign free agents to rebuild that part of his pitching staff. However, the trade market is another viable option. Could Seattle Mariners ace Luis Castillo be a realistic target?
New York's rotation was a big reason why it came within two wins of reaching the 2024 World Series. Key contributors such as Sean Manaea, Luis Severino and Jose Quintana hit free agency once they were eliminated. As the Mets look to reload for 2025, Stearns has publicly stated his desire to acquire multiple pitchers for his rotation.
Castillo has a terrific track record and a salary the Mets could easily afford. He's started 25-plus games in each full season since 2018, with five of those occurrences including at least 30 starts. The right-hander has posted a 70-69 record during that time with a 3.59 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 1,233 strikeouts in 1,140 2/3 innings.
The soon-to-be 32-year-old is under contract through 2027 thanks to a five-year, $108 million extension he signed with Seattle. He'll earn $24.15 million from 2025-27 and has a $25 million vesting option for 2028. If the Mariners are looking to offload some salary, could the Mets find a way to land the hurler?
FanSided's Damien Flores put together the following hypothetical trade:
- Mets receive: right-handed pitcher Luis Castillo
- Mariners receive: infielder Ronny Mauricio, infielder Luisangel Acuña and right-handed pitcher Nolan McLean
This deal would send quite a bit of top-shelf talent to Seattle. MLB.com ranks Mauricio (sixth), Acuña (12th) and McLean (ninth) within the Mets' top 15 prospects. However, this would help New York land a dependable ace for multiple seasons at a low financial commitment. The Mariners would also get MLB-ready offensive help in Mauricio (although he is coming back from an ACL injury) and Acuña.
While a deal is unlikely to look exactly like this, Castillo is an intriguing target if the Mariners seriously make him available and it's something to monitor.
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