It’s a shame that it has come to the point where the Seattle Mariners are entertaining the thought of trading from their rotation in order to get a player of value on the infield. It’s especially interesting considering there are no guarantees they will get Roki Sasaki.
Nonetheless, the Mariners need to improve their infield. With the owner unwilling to spend adequate money on free agency, the front office has approached the possibility of trading Luis Castillo. A few of the teams who made initial offers have since acquired other players.
Castillo is a valuable member of the Mariners roster, but their wealth of young pitchers allows the flexibility to move off the veteran. 2024 was a down year by his standards, but Castillo still finished with a 3.64 ERA and 1.16 WHIP across 30 starts. The 32-year-old is owed $72 million over the next three years. For a trade to take place, he would have to waive his no-trade clause. We already know that the Mariners denied a trade offer from the Red Sox, so it’s going to take quite a bit to pry the starter out of Seattle’s rotation.
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Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are one of three teams who could be a potential trade partner for the Mariners. The latter could ask for a trade package centered around Bo Bichette, who has been linked to the Mariners in trade talks for several seasons now. Acquiring a player like Bichette would add a power bat to the M’s lineup. Mariners Manager Dan Wilson would also be able to put him anywhere on the infield, whether it be for Shortstop, Second Base, or Third Base.
Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles are a young team just like the Mariners who have seen a lot of success. The difference between the two organizations is one is better at developing hitters, while the other is better at developing pitchers. That’s pretty easy to figure out which is which.
The Orioles could use some quality starters. Would the Orioles be willing to part with Ryan Mountcastle or Coby Mayo? That’s likely where the trade talks would begin. If they’re not willing to part with either one of them, then stall the talks.
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San Francisco Giants
As far as the Giants go, the three most intriguing names from the Mariners’ perspective are Lamonte Wade Jr, Tyler Fitzgerald, and Marco Luciano. Wade would be in the same boat as Casas if the Mariners were sold on having the platoon at first base. If they’re not then, Wade would likely be at the center of the trade package with some prospects in the mix as well.
Wade isn’t a big power guy but he has a career .351 on-base percentage and draws a lot of walks.
Of course, this all depends on if Luis Castillo is willing to waive his no-trade clause and which teams he’s willing to waive it for.
