The Seattle Mariners have landed All-Star starting pitcher Luis Castillo from the Cincinnati Reds, the teams announced Friday. The deal sends prospects Noelvi Marte, Edwin Arroyo, Levi Stoudt and Andrew Moore to the Reds. We’ll get to them in a bit, but the headline is that the Reds got three of the Mariners’ top five prospects.
Castillo, 29, is 4-4 with a 2.86 ERA (160 ERA+), 1.07 WHIP and 90 strikeouts against 28 walks in 85 innings this season. He made the All-Star team for the second time in his career and has shown the ability to pitch like an ace for long stretches throughout his career. He’s in the midst of such a run, in fact, as he’s 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA in his last five starts (all Reds wins). He has also struck out 41 in 34 innings.
The Mariners have the longest playoff drought in major American professional men’s sports. They haven’t been to the postseason since 2001. After missing by just two games last year, they’re now in playoff position, heading into Friday night 54-46 and holding onto the second wild card spot of the AL. This move indicates general manager Jerry Dipoto’s willingness to be even more aggressive in ending this drought.
With Castillo and 2021 Cy Young winner Robbie Ray out, the Mariners now have a chance to be without ace-caliber starters in two playoff games, and remember, the wild-card round is now a three-game series . Thanks to the likes of Logan Gilbert and Marco Gonzales, they also have good rotation depth.
Something to keep in mind on Castillo as well is that this isn’t necessarily just a move for the rest of the 2022 season. He’s still under team control for next season, as he won’t hit free agency until after the 2023 season. That is, even if things don’t quite work out the rest of this year, there’s no way that would make the trade broken in the short term.
Regarding the return:
- Marte is a 20-year-old shortstop in High-A this season and was considered the best prospect the Mariners had, possibly a top 10 prospect. He is hitting .270/.360/.460 with 19 doubles, 15 homers, 55 RBIs, 61 runs and 12 steals in 84 games.
- Arroyo, 18, was the Mariners’ second-round pick last season out of high school. He was considered the Mariners’ third-best prospect. In 84 games at Class A this season, he has hit .316/.385/.514 with 19 doubles, seven triples, 13 home runs, 67 RBIs, 76 runs and 21 stolen bases.
- Stoudt, a 24-year-old right-handed pitcher, was a third-round pick of the Lehigh Mariners in 2019. In 18 Double-A starts this season, he is 6-6 with a 5.28 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 82 strikeouts. against 22 balls in 87 innings. He was considered the Mariners’ fifth-best prospect.
- Moore, a 22-year-old right-handed reliever, was the Mariners’ 14th-round pick last year. MLB.com does not have him ranked among the Mariners’ top 30 prospects. In 25 starts for Class A, he has a 1.95 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 58 strikeouts against 17 walks in 32 1/3 innings.
Time will tell how the comeback will be for the Reds, but it looks like a good time.
As for the Mariners, Castillo contributing to a deep playoff run, which is surely the goal, will make the move worthwhile.