Mariners ace Luis Castillo Would Land in Boston with Red Sox in Proposed Deal


The Seattle Mariners have one of the strongest starting rotations in baseball. But their offense? Not so much. Although they're reluctant to do it, the M's are likely going to have to bite the bullet and trade one of their starters to get the bats they need.

With that, former MLB GM Jim Bowden, writing in The Athletic, has suggested a trade with the Boston Red Sox that would get Seattle the offense it's looking for, and the Beantowners the ace they so desire. It would look like this: 

Boston Red Sox Receive:

  • RHP Luis Castillo

Seattle Mariners Receive:

  • 1B Triston Casas
  • 3B/1B Blaze Jordan


Castillo would take his career 3.56 ERA and 1.17 WHIP with 10.7 K/9 straight to the top of the Boston rotation, giving them the No. 1 starter they need to head up their otherwise solid staff. 

The Mariners would receive one of the top power-hitting prospects in baseball, with two major league seasons already under his belt. Casas would not only fill a void the M's have at first base, but he would add some much-needed thunder to their lineup, with 42 home runs over 222 big league games, with a 125 OPS+ and an .830 OPS. He has the potential to be a regular 40-HR hitter. 

And the BoSox are apparently "open" to trading him. This would partly depend on whether they're able to obtain a third baseman, such as free agent Alex Bregman or trade candidate Nolan Arenado, and then move Rafael Devers over to first base to replace Casas. 

Seattle would also get Boston's #22 prospect, and with a name like Blaze Jordan, how can he not be a major leaguer? MLB Pipeline says he was a "legendary power hitter as an amateur" though he hasn't been as prodigious in the minor pro leagues as of yet. He turns 22 today, and we'll see if he's able to, uh... blaze  a path to the majors in 2025. 

Of course, if the Red Sox are able to simply sign top free agent arm Corbin Burnes, all of this would be a moot point. They'd have their ace with no need to trade a top young slugger. 

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