What I'm hearing about the Mariners' willingness to trade Luis Castillo and more

The Seattle Mariners’ position connected trading right-hander Luis Castillo is simple, according to sources briefed connected their discussions: We’ll do it, but only if the return makes the squad better.

That’s a precocious barroom erstwhile discussing a pitcher of Castillo’s caliber, but the Mariners are not willing successful simply dumping his statement pinch the extremity of applying the savings elsewhere. Castillo’s afloat no-trade clause further complicates matters, enabling him to efffectively prime his adjacent team.

Interest successful Castillo accrued importantly aft the New York Yankees signed free-agent lefty Max Fried to an eight-year, $218 cardinal contract, a Mariners root said. Castillo, 32, is owed little than 1 3rd that magnitude — $68.25 cardinal complete the adjacent 3 years.

Fried, who turns 31 connected Jan. 18, is the superior pitcher, but 3 times better? Dylan Cease ranks first successful the fields pinch 130 starts the past 4 seasons. Castillo is tied for 11th pinch 121. His durability and 3.56 profession ERA are 2 reasons why the Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets are among the teams to astatine slightest inquire connected him, according to convention sources and reports.

The Mariners’ hesitancy successful trading Castillo stems successful portion from their spread betwixt their apical 5 starters and their adjacent wave. Their extent figures to amended successful time, arsenic Emerson Hancock becomes much polished, Logan Evans moves person to the fields and different prospects statesman to emerge. But astatine the moment, a waste and acquisition of Castillo mightiness time off them perilously thin.

Some reports person indicated that if the Mariners move Castillo, they will make a beardown push for free supplier Christian Walker. The Mariners, though, would look important title for Walker, and mightiness not position a first baseman who will play adjacent play astatine 34 years aged arsenic the wisest finance of their money.

A waste and acquisition of Castillo to the Cubs for a package headlined by 2nd baseman Nico Hoerner besides would look a longshot. The Cubs needed to waste and acquisition a 2nd baseman aliases 3rd baseman to clear a spot for No. 1 imaginable Matt Shaw, the 13th wide prime successful the 2023 draft. They accomplished that extremity pinch the inclusion of Isaac Paredes successful the Kyle Tucker deal, creating a way for Shaw astatine 3rd and making it apt they will support Hoerner.

Assessing the A’s-Rays trade

The measurement salaries for starting pitchers are escalating, left-hander Jeffrey Springs should beryllium a comparative bargain. Springs, acquired Saturday by the A’s from the Tampa Bay Rays, is earning $10.5 cardinal successful each of the adjacent 2 seasons. His statement besides includes a $15 cardinal nine action for 2027.

Springs, 32, underwent Tommy John room successful April 2023 and returned to commencement 7 games successful 2024 earlier he was unopen down successful early September. According to a source, some he and the Rays informed the A’s that he could person kept pitching, but his surgeon, Dr. Keith Meister, advised against it. In 2022, Springs’ past patient season, he produced a 2.46 ERA successful 135 1/3 innings. If he moreover approaches that form, he would springiness the A’s a coagulated No. 2 starter down Luis Severino.

The A’s besides received lefty reliever Jacob Lopez successful the deal, while giving up right-hander Joe Boyle, first baseman Will Simpson, righty Jacob Watters and a Competitive Balance Round A prime successful the 2025 draft. That prime figures to autumn successful the 37 to 39 range, giving the Rays 4 of the first 51 selections. Boyle, 25, holds the top imaginable worth of the existent players the Rays received — if he learns to propulsion strikes.

The 6-foot-7, 240-pound Notre Dame merchandise did it successful 3 eye-opening starts erstwhile he made his major-league debut astatine the extremity of the 2023 season, past regressed to his aged ways successful ‘24, stepping 40 successful 47 2/3 innings and finishing pinch a 6.42 ERA. The Rays mostly excel astatine fixing specified pitchers, and they saw Boyle astatine his champion connected Aug. 19, erstwhile he unopen them retired for six innings. But the remainder of their package they negotiated is simply a hedge against Boyle failing to clasp down a spot arsenic either a starter aliases reliever.

The A’s, meanwhile, still want to adhd a 3rd baseman, but the manufacture request astatine that position acold exceeds the supply. Free supplier Alex Bregman is astir apt excessively costly for the A’s, and he tin surely find a much desirable spot to play than Sacramento. Ditto for the St. Louis Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado, who has a afloat no-trade clause. The Philadelphia Phillies’ Alec Bohm is different waste and acquisition candidate, but erstwhile the A’s inquired astir him, the Phillies asked for All-Star reliever Mason Miller. That ended the conversation, an A’s root said.

Who wants Jack?

According to sources, free-agent righty Jack Flaherty is 1 fallback action for the Orioles if, arsenic expected, they neglect to re-sign Corbin Burnes. The Red Sox besides tin not beryllium ruled retired for Flaherty. They liked him past offseason, only to spot him motion pinch the Detroit Tigers, a convention root said.

Flaherty, 29, underperformed for the Orioles aft they acquired him from the Cardinals astatine the 2023 deadline. Baltimore officials, however, recognized he was worn down. Flaherty already had thrown 109 2/3 innings aft combining for only 154 2/3 the erstwhile 3 seasons owed to injuries. The Orioles were not needfully amazed erstwhile he stumbled to a 6.75 ERA successful 34 2/3 innings. But successful a constricted market, fewer amended options were available.

Part of Flaherty’s entreaty successful free agency is that a squad will not suffer a draught prime for signing him; his waste and acquisition from the Tigers to the Los Angeles Dodgers past play made him ineligible for a qualifying offer. Like Burnes, he is simply a California autochthonal who mightiness for illustration to play retired west. But for which club?

The San Francisco Giants are possibly the starring anticipation for Burnes, and it is not known whether they would pivot to Flaherty if that pursuit backfired. The Los Angeles Angels, successful caller years nether proprietor Arte Moreno, person been unwilling to spell beyond 3 years for a starting pitcher.

The A’s made their large scatter pinch Severino. The Mariners aren’t seeking to adhd a starter. The San Diego Padres look payroll concerns. The Dodgers? They’ve already signed free-agent lefty Blake Snell for $182 million, and still request to find an outfielder (Teoscar Hernández?) and late-inning reliever (Tanner Scott?).

The Orioles, if Burnes and Flaherty spell elsewhere, could prosecute a waste and acquisition for Castillo aliases possibly much likely, Cease. Like Burnes past offseason, Cease is entering his locomotion year. But the Orioles would beryllium consenting to entertain the aforesaid type of woody they made for Burnes pinch the Milwaukee Brewers. That waste and acquisition costs them shortstop Joey Ortiz, lefty DL Hall and the 34th prime of the 2024 draft, who turned retired to beryllium University of Tennessee first baseman Blake Burke.

Why keeping Turang astatine 2nd makes consciousness for Brewers

Much tin alteration earlier Opening Day, but the Brewers look inclined to support Platinum Glove victor Brice Turang astatine 2nd guidelines adjacent play alternatively than move him to shortstop successful spot of Willy Adames, who departed for the Giants arsenic a free agent.

Athleticism astatine 2nd became moreover much valuable erstwhile the convention banned protect shifts anterior to the 2023 season. A 2nd baseman tin scope to his correct for a grounder and get an retired pinch a beardown throw; a shortstop cannot ever do that. Turang, 25, was first successful protect runs saved astatine 2nd past season, eighth successful outs supra average.

If Turang stays astatine second, the Brewers tin play Ortiz astatine short and perchance spell pinch a operation of the recently acquired Caleb Durbin and Oliver Dunn astatine third. The 5-foot-6 Durbin mightiness not person capable limb for third, but the Brewers judge his speed, scrappiness and interaction skills will fresh their style of play. He group a single-season Arizona Fall League grounds pinch 29 stolen bases his fall.

Around the horn

*The statement among a mini sample of rival executives is that the Houston Astros did rather good for 1 twelvemonth of Kyle Tucker, supplementing their major-league nine pinch Isaac Paredes and righty Hayden Wesneski while besides acquiring a apical prospect, Cam Smith.

Paredes, nether nine power for the adjacent 3 seasons, is simply a notorious propulsion hitter and cleanable fresh for Minute Maid Park. Wesneski, nether power for 5 much years, is the benignant of pitcher the Astros routinely maximize. And while Smith, the 14th prime successful the 2024 draft, is much apt to extremity up astatine first guidelines aliases correct section than third, his violative imaginable is immense.

“He tin beryllium a monster,” 1 exec said.

One different point to consider: Fangraphs estimates that the Astros are wrong astir $16 cardinal of the luxury-tax threshold. If they had kept Tucker, made him a qualifying connection and gone complete the threshold, each they would person received arsenic compensation was a prime aft the 4th information — the aforesaid they will get for Bregman aft exceeding the period past season.

*As 1 mightiness suspect, the budget-conscious Brewers are unfastened to moving first baseman Rhys Hoskins, who will gain $18 cardinal adjacent play and besides is owed a $4 cardinal buyout connected a communal action for 2026.

The problem for the Brewers is that the first basemen connected the free-agent marketplace see not conscionable Pete Alonso and Christian Walker, but besides Paul Goldschmidt, Anthony Rizzo, Josh Bell, Carlos Santana and Justin Turner.

To move Hoskins, the Brewers mightiness request to some adhd rate and connect a prospect.

*The measurement the catching marketplace evolved, the Angels’ signing of Travis d’Arnaud to a two-year, $12 cardinal statement looks much reasonable than it did erstwhile the woody was announced connected Nov. 12.

Kyle Higashioka, coming disconnected a 17-homer season, sewage somewhat much than that from the Texas Rangers — 2 years, $13.5 million. Carson Kelly sewage somewhat little from the Cubs — 2 years, $11.5 million. But specified is the catching shortage successful the industry, 2 backups coming disconnected little productive violative campaigns than d’Arnaud, Danny Jansen (Tampa Bay) and Gary Sánchez (Baltimore) received importantly higher AAVs connected their respective one-year, $8.5 cardinal deals.

Age apt accounted for portion of the discrepancy — d’Arnaud will play adjacent play astatine 36, Higashioka 35, Sánchez astatine 32, Kelly and Jansen astatine 30.

(Top photograph of Luis Castillo: Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

Ken Rosenthal is the elder shot writer for The Athletic who has spent astir 35 years covering the awesome leagues. In addition, Ken is simply a broadcaster and regular contributor to Fox Sports' MLB telecasts. He's besides won Emmy Awards successful 2015 and 2016 for his TV reporting. Follow Ken connected Twitter @Ken_Rosenthal