When it comes to trading a star player and all of the associated speculations, the Seattle Mariners have been the center of attention this offseason. Seattle, famous for their lockdown starting rotation, has been floating Luis Castillo’s name around the trade market, but it isn’t working out as well as the Mariners had anticipated.
Although the Mariners haven’t received enough bite out of a reasonable deal to send Castillo away, it appears that the Red Sox had a trade in place to acquire the right-handed ace. Unfortunately, Jerry Dipoto and his front-office personnel lacked the “wow” factor. Did the Mariners do the right thing by passing on this deal? Or did they just miss out on a player who could bolster the lineup?
Mariners Rumors: Luis Castillo trade talks with Red Sox fell apart
The Red Sox were willing to part ways with Triston Casas, a 24-year-old first baseman who can be a cornerstone middle-of-the-order bat, for Castillo. The Mariners are in desperate need for a corner infielder — one who preferably can hit — and Casas checks off those boxes.
However, the one issue in this trade is that Boston was adamant about including Masataka Yoshida in the deal, which would be a huge salary dump for them.
Yoshida is owed $18 million per year for each of the next three seasons, which is a steep contract for a 31-year-old desiganted hitter. If Seattle had more wiggle room in their payroll, then perhaps this deal would be worth it, but the Mariners’ financial situation likely all but killed this trade.
Yoshida is a .285 hitter in his first two MLB seasons and he would probably be a decent contributor for the M’s, but taking on that contract would hurt a club that is trying to save money, essentially defeating the purpose of moving Castillo’s remaining contract. Casas only played in 63 games this past season due to a rib injury, but he posted 21 extra-base hits and a 120 OPS+ in his short stint in 2024.
A world of potential is there in Casas, but the trade might have tipped in the favor of Boston if this deal went through. Castillo is one of the top right-handers in baseball, and if the Mariners are going to trade him, then they need to be sent a haul in return.
Absorbing Yoshida’s salary does not fit that mold, and Casas arguably isn’t enough to satisfy the M’s. It’s all about knowing your players’ worth, and maybe Dipoto was right for feeling that the M’s needed a more team-friendly deal.
Mariner fans have been pulled in every direction this winter, and now that they are more prepared for Castillo to depart, missing out on Casas might sting more so than earlier in the offseason when they thought the veteran would stay put. Though Casas and Yoshida would’ve been helpful for the Mariners’ anemic offense, Dipoto may have been right to stand strong here.
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