The first trade deadline domino fell on Friday night as Jeff Passan reported that Luis Castillo will be headed to the Seattle Mariners. Seattle will look to make its first postseason appearance since 2001 in which they had the best record in the league but failed to make the AL Championship Series.
The Dodgers were reported to be trying to make a move for Castillo — who was considered by many to be the best starting pitcher on the market — but the cards just didn’t fall that way for LA. After the move was announced, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was asked about the trade and lets just say he’s content with the outcome.
Looking at it glass half full, Roberts is right. The Dominican pitcher was traded to the AL and did not go to a legit contender. Most importantly, Castillo was not traded within the National League. Teams like the Dodgers and Yankees were mentioned to be apart of the Castillo sweepstakes but only the Mariners were willing to pay the price to acquire him.
The righty dealt with some shoulder soreness in the beginning of the season but has started 14 games in the season so far and was named to the 2022 NL All-Star team.The 29-year-old is 4-4 with a 2.86 ERA with 90 strikeouts and 28 walks over 85 innings pitched in 2022.
Castillo will be under the Mariners control for the next season and a half. He’ll be joining a solid rotation along with Robbie Ray and will fight for a chance at a wild card spot. LA still has plenty of other options on the table whether that’s acquiring a new bat or starting pitching. Time will only tell what Friedman and the front office will do by Tuesdays deadline.
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