MLB Trade Rumors: Yankees Would Land Ace Luis Castillo in Proposed Trade

With ace Gerrit Cole out for the season and reigning Rookie of the Year winner Luis Gil out of the New York Yankees rotation for three months, the Pinstripers must still be on the lookout for a big arm to join the rotation.

One team that's pitching-rich, but offense-poor, is the Seattle Mariners. At some point, eventually, this team has to deal off one of its elite starters for some hitting help.

To that end, Tyler Ward of Bleacher Report has proposed a deal that would finally land Luis Castillo, a pitcher the Yankees have been linked to for years, in the Bronx.

NY Yankees receive:

Luis Castillo, SP

Seattle Mariners receive:

Spencer Jones, OF
(other prospects)

Castillo, 32, is a three-time All-Star, and has been one of the best starters in the majors for years. He would slot right into the top of their rotation with Max Fried and Carlos Rodon. Castillo has a 3.55 career ERA, and it's been seven years since his one blip with an ERA over 4. He averages 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings.

For the Mariners, obtaining Spencer Jones would be a coup. He is a primo prospect, a massive 6'7", 235-pound slugger and speedster, who is currently the Yankees' No. 3 overall prospect. He offers 25-25 (HR + SB) upside. He was drafted by the LA Angels in 2019 as a two-way prospect, but problems with his pitching elbow and subsequent Tommy John surgery in 2020 put the kibosh on the pitching side of his skill set.

Jones went back into the draft in 2022, where the Yankees plucked him as a full-time outfielder at 25th overall in the first round. He's starting this season at Double-A, but the soon-to-be 24-year-old has an estimated arrival time in the majors, per MLB Pipeline, of sometime later this season.

Ward suggests that the Mariners could potentially push instead for The Martian, Jasson Dominguez, the Yanks' No. 1 prospect, who is getting a full-time look at the major league level this season. But perhaps adding some other elite prospects with Jones could suffice.