At the beginning of August, the Mariners went all-in at the Trade Deadline when they dealt three of their top five prospects to the Reds for starter Luis Castillo.
On Saturday, they locked Castillo down for the foreseeable future, as the right-handed ace and the Mariners agreed on a five-year contract with a vesting sixth-year option. Terms of the deal were not announced, but a source told MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer that the deal is for $105 million over five years, and the option will bring the total value of the contract to $133 million.
“Luis has been one of the top pitchers in MLB over the past six seasons,” general manager Jerry Dipoto said. “He is a dynamic power pitcher in the prime of his career with a track record of consistency. Bringing him to Seattle represented a key moment in our ongoing efforts to build a championship roster. Similarly, this deal illustrates our continued commitment to both the present and future of this team.”
The deal also includes a clause that offers the Mariners some protection should Castillo get injured, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. If Castillo undergoes Tommy John surgery on his right elbow during the 2025-27 seasons that keeps him out more than 130 days, a $5 million option will be picked up in 2028.
Named an All-Star this season, Castillo has made nine starts for the Mariners since the Deadline, going 3-2 with a 2.83 ERA while recording 64 strikeouts in 54 innings. On the year, the right-hander is 7-6 with a 2.85 ERA in 139 innings.
“I feel great,” Castillo said. “Every baseball player wants to have a dream like this become a reality. I’m happy I was able to accomplish this with the Mariners and I want to thank everybody in the organization for treating me so well.”
Castillo, who was set to be a free agent after the season, has quickly settled into his spot as a part of Seattle’s dominant rotation, which also includes free-agent acquisition Robbie Ray (12-10, 3.60 ERA), breakout star Logan Gilbert (13-6, 3.13 ERA) and reigning AL Rookie of the Month George Kirby (7-4, 3.30 ERA).
Castillo’s arrival in Seattle has coincided with the Mariners seeking to end their historic 21-year playoff drought, as they entered play on Saturday three games up on the Orioles for the final AL Wild Card Spot. The Mariners finished two games shy of the postseason last year.
In the aforementioned trade with Cincinnati, Seattle gave up Noelvi Marte (its then-No. 1 prospect) and Edwin Arroyo (No. 3), as well as right-handers Levi Stoudt (No. 5) and Andrew Moore.