Mariners acquire Luis Castillo for four prospects

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Lis Castillo
(Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

After being involved in many trade discussions, the Seattle Mariners have made their first move during this year’s trade deadline. The first big splash that has happened here at the 2022 MLB trade deadline.

Jerry Dipoto recently stated that the Mariners could make some moves – “We’ll see. There are certainly ways to help our team get better, and so it’s an exciting time, really, all around.”

While the Mariners had to pay a steep price for Castillo with three of the top five prospects headed to the Cincinnati Reds. Jerry Dipoto and his crew will trade away Edwin Arroyo (#3), Noelvi Marte (#1), Levi Stoudt (#5), and Andrew Moore. Marte and Arroyo are Seattle’s two top prospects, per Baseball America, Both rank in the top 100 of all MLB prospects per both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline. Stoudt is a top 10 Mariners prospect while Moore is Seattle’s No. 26 prospect on MLB Pipeline. The Mariners will bolster their starting rotation with the addition of another ace, Luis Castillo, to their rotation.

“We see Castillo as an impact, top of the rotation starter who’s currently on top of his game,” Dipoto said. “Our goal remains to play in the postseason, now and in the years to come. We believe adding Luis is a big step in that direction.”

Luis Castillo, 29, has made 14 starts with the Reds this season. He is currently 4-4 with a 2.86 ERA (27 ER, 85.0 IP). He has 90 strikeouts and just 28 walks. In the month of July, he is pitching to a 1.93 ERA with 30 strikeouts and seven walks. The two-time all-star (2019 and 2022) ranks ninth in the MLB in games started (137), and 8th in strikeouts (860) since he made his debut.

This trade marks the third player that the Mariners have acquired from the Reds since the lockout ended. In March, the Mariners acquired Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suarez from Cincinnati.

By adding another starter, the Mariners are playing on the cautionary side with George Kirby reaching his limit for innings in his first professional campaign, and with Logan Gilbert already surpassing his mark from last season.