Is Luis Castillo Possibly Available In A Trade?

[DocBauer]

Read a piece today where Ken Rosenthal has stated he believes the Mariners are reluctant to move any of their young, controllable arms, despite looking to add bats to their lineup.

The onus appears to be their own concern about losing $ from their current TV deal. (Honestly don't recall if they are with Bally, or if their broadcasting deal is with another company and different concerns).

If Rosenthal's opinion has legs, it would make some sense for future financial security and contention compatability over the next few years for Seattle. The further opinion of the article is from a reporter at Fan Nation, so take that in to consideration.  NOT meaning an insult towards anyone, but it doesn't come from Rosenthal at the Athletic, or another national news corporation, BUT, it's a very interesting idea.

COULD the Mariners actually be looking to move on from Luis Castillo, while "hoarding" their young arms, to add bats? They keep their young arms, shed payroll, and add offense.

Personally, I didn't see this an an option initially, but it does make sense. Castillo is 31yo, and is due $21M in 2024. He's under control through 2027, with a vesting option for 2028, I believe. (I don't have the information concerning said vesting option).  Overall, he's still owed over $80M total, through his age 35 season, not exactly ancient, or overall expensive, even though there might be a bit of an overpay his last couple of seasons.

From a Twins perspective, there's little doubt that Polanco and Kepler are both fits for Seattle, solid, not old, Polanco with an extra year of control. Now, the Mariners would surely be looking for more than just an immediate contribution. But keep in mind, they are shedding payroll and keeping their young arms while adding to their offense. Based on talent, ability, projection, future possibilities, the Twins MIGHT be able to add the likes of Larnach, Miranda, Severino, Camargo...ML ready or close...or/and...add some of the younger available talent like Keaschall, Rosario, J-Rodriguez, Yasser Mercedes, etc.

The Twins MOVE $20M and add $20M. The Mariners lose $20M, keep their young arms, but add $20M in good bats they need. The Mariners also add another 2-3 bats/position players...their choice...between ready now or a couple years away but legitimate top 20 prospects with real potential.

The Twins MIGHT keep all of their top 3 prospects as well as Julien and Wallner. But they add a top SP who replaces the $ sent out. Seattle adds offense needed for the same $ they sent out, keep their young arms, and grab a collection of 2-3 more solid bat prospects who are ready, nearly ready, a couple years away but very talented.

I know this is all speculation, but I don't think this is illogical to consider from both sides. And maybe I'm wrong. Even with Seattle wanting to keep their young arms and maybe moving Castillo they just DEMAND a Julien or Lee, etc. And the Twins might look elsewhere. 

But I think this is an interesting idea. Your thoughts?

[chpettit19]

I don't know that the Twins should really be adding much beyond Kepler and Polanco in that deal. Certainly not multiple top-20 prospects or MLB ready prospects. I think the 3 player veteran swap of pitching for hitting is probably pretty close to even to start with. And it's an intriguing deal.

[cmoss84]

Yes.

[Brandon]

We should absolutely corner the Luis Castillo market and acquire all Luis Castillo's out there to play for the Twins at some point in their careers.  

Luis Castillo Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com

In case you forgot we already had Luis Castillo back in 2007 and 2008,

[harmony55]

The proposed trade would leave a gaping hole in the Seattle rotation without saving the Mariners money.

Why would the Mariners do that?

Seattle would have an unwise distribution of financial resources if the Mariners signed hometown lefty Blake Snell, giving the M's three starters with nine-figure contracts. If Luis Castillo would waive his no-trade clause, Seattle could trade Castillo for a pre-arb impact bat to free up payroll to sign a free agent starter such as Snell. The Mariners have better luck attracting free agent pitchers than free agent hitters.

The problem is that the Twins and Mariners reportedly each face payroll restrictions. Seattle might consider a trade of Castillo for Brooks Lee but that deal probably does not make financial sense for the Twins.

Seattle could turn to Max Kepler if the Mariners fail to land an outfielder with more team control.

On the wrong side of age 30 coming off two sub-2 WAR seasons, Jorge Polanco probably does not represent a significant upgrade over Seattle's current infield options. As offered before, compare how Polanco stacks up in fWAR over the past two seasons:

Polanco 3.3 fWAR in 184 games

Luis Urias: 2.2 fWAR in 171 games
Josh Rojas: 3.8 fWAR in 230 games
Jose Caballero: 2.2 fWAR in 104 games (2023 debut)
Dylan Moore: 2.8 fWAR in 171 games

Seattle also has an intriguing second-base prospect in Ryan Bliss, who is projected to make his MLB debut in 2024 after posting these numbers this year split between Double A and Triple A in his age 23 season:

612 PA, .304/.378/.524/.902, 110 R, 23 HR, 86 RBI, 34 2B, 8 3B, 55 SB, 15 CS, 58 BB, 119 K

A college teammate of Edouard Julien at Auburn, Bliss was the starting second baseman for the National League in the 2023 Futures Game before being sent to Seattle later that month in the Paul Sewald trade. Bliss was named Defensive Player of the Year in the Arizona Fall League where he slugged a grand slam in the championship play-in game.

BTW Bliss and Julien were quite the duo as a freshman and sophomore on the 2019 Auburn Tigers:

https://auburntigers.com/sports/baseball/stats/2019

An interesting trade would be Luis Castillo back to Cincinnati for third baseman Noelvi Marte, who headed the package Seattle sent in the July 2022 trade for Castillo. The Reds get a top-of-rotation starter while the Mariners get a promising low-cost third baseman and salary relief to pursue a replacement starter.

[DJL44]

The Mariners gave up quite a bit to get Castillo. I don't think they want to move him.

I am pretty sure the Twins could get Robbie Ray from the Mariners if they wanted him. That's a better target. The Mariners have been packaging talent with their high priced players just to free up room in their budget. With the salaries starting pitchers are getting I could see Ray opting out after 2024.

FYI - The Mariners just recently announced they now own 100% of their regional sports network Root Sports.

[Brandon]

When looking for Twins pitching targets it makes more sense to look for a pitcher with mainly 1 year of control left so the cost to acquire stays lower.  We already have 5 starting pitchers who are locked in for a while.  4 of them through the next 4 seasons.  We have multiple prospects on the way up too.  so we will have plenty of depth available at AAA after this season.  In 2024 I expect Varland, Festa, and SWR to get 4-10 starts each minimum (Varland may get 32)  Dobnak is available for a spot start or two.  

Look at who all should be available at some point next season.  Festa, SWR, and then Lewis, Raya, Peirson Oh, CJ Culpepper and more.  maybe Preliepp.  with budgets and available low cost talent on the way the Twins are well positioned moving forward,  

I said that to make the point we only need the impact starter for this coming season.  

[1985Fan]

Mariners just announced they will take control of their regional sports network, Root Sports NW. They already owned 80%, but now control it all. Root also broadcasts Kracken hockey games, Trailblazers, and local college games. They announced that they will probably lay off people at the RSN in January. 
This will probably reduce Mariners payroll and increase the likelihood of Castillo being moved. Twins should be all over Castillo deal. 

[1985Fan]

Link to article in Seattle Times about the takeover of RSNW by Mariners:

https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/mariners/mariners-to-take-full-control-of-root-sports-nw-clouding-teams-financial-outlook/
 

Also mentions that regional sports networks are “collapsing nationwide”. Wonder if the Twins will be forced into broadcasting their games themselves. MLB should get their act together and takeover all teams broadcasts to negotiate deals with networks like the NFL model. 

[JD-TWINS]

6 hours ago, harmony55 said:

The proposed trade would leave a gaping hole in the Seattle rotation without saving the Mariners money.

Why would the Mariners do that?

Seattle would have an unwise distribution of financial resources if the Mariners signed hometown lefty Blake Snell, giving the M's three starters with nine-figure contracts. If Luis Castillo would waive his no-trade clause, Seattle could trade Castillo for a pre-arb impact bat to free up payroll to sign a free agent starter such as Snell. The Mariners have better luck attracting free agent pitchers than free agent hitters.

The problem is that the Twins and Mariners reportedly each face payroll restrictions. Seattle might consider a trade of Castillo for Brooks Lee but that deal probably does not make financial sense for the Twins.

Seattle could turn to Max Kepler if the Mariners fail to land an outfielder with more team control.

On the wrong side of age 30 coming off two sub-2 WAR seasons, Jorge Polanco probably does not represent a significant upgrade over Seattle's current infield options. As offered before, compare how Polanco stacks up in fWAR over the past two seasons:

Polanco 3.3 fWAR in 184 games

Luis Urias: 2.2 fWAR in 171 games
Josh Rojas: 3.8 fWAR in 230 games
Jose Caballero: 2.2 fWAR in 104 games (2023 debut)
Dylan Moore: 2.8 fWAR in 171 games

Seattle also has an intriguing second-base prospect in Ryan Bliss, who is projected to make his MLB debut in 2024 after posting these numbers this year split between Double A and Triple A in his age 23 season:

612 PA, .304/.378/.524/.902, 110 R, 23 HR, 86 RBI, 34 2B, 8 3B, 55 SB, 15 CS, 58 BB, 119 K

A college teammate of Edouard Julien at Auburn, Bliss was the starting second baseman for the National League in the 2023 Futures Game before being sent to Seattle later that month in the Paul Sewald trade. Bliss was named Defensive Player of the Year in the Arizona Fall League where he slugged a grand slam in the championship play-in game.

BTW Bliss and Julien were quite the duo as a freshman and sophomore on the 2019 Auburn Tigers:

https://auburntigers.com/sports/baseball/stats/2019

An interesting trade would be Luis Castillo back to Cincinnati for third baseman Noelvi Marte, who headed the package Seattle sent in the July 2022 trade for Castillo. The Reds get a top-of-rotation starter while the Mariners get a promising low-cost third baseman and salary relief to pursue a replacement starter.

So, I understand the fact that losing Castillo changes a rotation. However, all I’ve read for a year is that Seattle has a slew of good young arms, along with Castillo & Robby Ray. Why do they need to plug a hole from anywhere else other than internally? Why would they consider Blake Snell??

The FO can better pick guys Seattle would like and who we might part with……..I like Castillo a lot. Have been a proponent of signing J. Montgomery but if Castillo is available for 4 years at $21M - he’s a better value than Montgomery at $26M.

[harmony55]

34 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

So, I understand the fact that losing Castillo changes a rotation. However, all I’ve read for a year is that Seattle has a slew of good young arms, along with Castillo & Robby Ray. Why do they need to plug a hole from anywhere else other than internally? Why would they consider Blake Snell??

The FO can better pick guys Seattle would like and who we might part with……..I like Castillo a lot. Have been a proponent of signing J. Montgomery but if Castillo is available for 4 years at $21M - he’s a better value than Montgomery at $26M.

After trading away Marco Gonzales, the Mariners have a projected starting rotation of Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo. Emerson Hancock provides the only MLB-ready depth with Robbie Ray expected to be out until July.

I agree with your assessment of Castillo's value versus Jordan Montgomery's value. At the Baseball Trade Values site I wrote:

Will the surplus trade value of Luis Castillo be adjusted to take into account the contracts of this year's top free agent pitchers? Castillo was born the same month as Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell while being six months younger than Aaron Nola, who landed a seven-year, $172 million contract. This year Castillo ranked 20th in pitching fWAR with 3.4 while Montgomery, Snell and Nola were 13th, 14th and 15th with 4.3, 4.1 and 3.9, respectively. Castillo is guaranteed $91 million over the next four years with a vesting 2028 option that could bring the total to $116 million over five years. Baseball Trade Values has Castillo with $121.6 million over five years. Castiilo reportedly has full no-trade protection through 2025 with a $1 million assignment bonus thereafter. Either way Castillo should have more surplus value if Montgomery and Snell land their projected contracts.

[DJL44]

16 hours ago, JD-TWINS said:

So, I understand the fact that losing Castillo changes a rotation. However, all I’ve read for a year is that Seattle has a slew of good young arms, along with Castillo & Robby Ray. Why do they need to plug a hole from anywhere else other than internally? Why would they consider Blake Snell??

They would consider Snell because he just won a Cy Young Award and he wants to give the Mariners a discount to go back home to Washington.

[JD-TWINS]

31 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

They would consider Snell because he just won a Cy Young Award and he wants to give the Mariners a discount to go back home to Washington.

I get the media plays up the home town stuff. Maybe real?

With a number of good arms in Seattle and a REAL NEED for position player depth, signing a guy who is broken down quite a bit is not good spending. They are in the midst of paying Ray for being unavailable for 18 months. Doubt they have the stomach for it…………what’s a hometown contract” valued at by Snell?……$25M at the discount?

Seems unlikely to me.

[harmony55]

6 hours ago, JD-TWINS said:

I get the media plays up the home town stuff. Maybe real?

With a number of good arms in Seattle and a REAL NEED for position player depth, signing a guy who is broken down quite a bit is not good spending. They are in the midst of paying Ray for being unavailable for 18 months. Doubt they have the stomach for it…………what’s a hometown contract” valued at by Snell?……$25M at the discount?

Seems unlikely to me.

Seattle can ill-afford a third nine-figure contract for a starting pitcher by adding Blake Snell to Luis Castillo and Robbie Ray.

However, the Mariners could clear payroll space by trading Castillo (with his consent) for a pre-arb impact bat. The salary savings could be applied toward a replacement starter who might desire the pitching-friendly environment of Seattle and the AL West.

The Mariners could wait out the high-end pitching market in hopes that Castillo's trade value increases.

Steamer projects Castillo, Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery (who were all born the same month) with 2024 WAR of 3.4, 3.3 and 3.2, respectively. The big spenders that miss out on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Snell and Montgomery could turn their attention to Castillo.

Even with a hometown discount, Snell probably is not a good fit for Seattle. If Castillo is traded, the Mariners instead could turn to second-tier a starter such as Shota Imanaga, Marcus Stroman or Lucas Giolito.

[DocBauer]

I keep hearing how deep Seattle is in arms. But they need bats. But they don't want to trade any of their young arms.

And then I read articles about them moving payroll to lower it.

And then I read articles about them buying the majority share of their broadcasting company, only to cut employees, and further concerns about payroll.

They are talking out of both sides of their mouth. Not uncommon. They make a big investment for the future in hopes it works. But in the meantime, they need to add and will have to give to get. Same as any team.

I don't know that they really want to move Castillo. But if they really are looking to lower payroll, while adding offense, and they really like their young arms, it sure does make sense to move him at this time for a handful of bats that could help in the short term, and the long term, if the Twins play it right.

Probably much ado about nothing, but it's interesting to consider.

 

 

 

[Jocko87]

I'd be all for it, except Castillo has a full no trade clause.  On top of these types of deal rarely happening he's very unlikely to be mobile from his or the teams standpoint.

[SteveLV]

Yikes, did not realize his contract terms!  No thanks.  Very good pitcher, but Twins will never do that.  If they were willing to, they would have re-signed Gray for less years, similar money, known commodity.

[Riverbrian]

My Guess is:

Yes... The Mariners would move Castillo if they could and Yes... The Mariners would hang on to the young controllable arms with all of their might. Especially if they can get a decent hitter for Castillo... They could in my opinion reinvest the money saved into another decent hitter via free agency. 

Castillo is owed 118 Million over the next 5 years. 

Kirby, Miller and Woo are still pre-arb. 

Gilbert is in the first year of arbitration. 

Trading Castillo seems like the most obvious move to me... if of course... Castillo waives that no-trade. Which he would probably do... if properly compensated in return. 

 

 

[tony&rodney]

Why would the Twins trade for Castillo? If the Twins wanted to spend that much money they would just sign Montgomery or Snell. Castillo is not an option at all.

[chpettit19]

6 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Why would the Twins trade for Castillo? If the Twins wanted to spend that much money they would just sign Montgomery or Snell. Castillo is not an option at all.

If they think he's better than Montgomery or Snell that'd be a reason to trade for Castillo. If Montgomery or Snell are going to get bigger and/or longer deals that'd be a reason to trade for Castillo. If Montgomery or Snell don't want to come to MN but Castillo would accept a trade here that'd be a reason to trade for Castillo. I think it's unlikely they trade for Castillo, but I think it's an option.

[Cris E]

Of course you take this deal, and you might even overpay to get this deal because the cost of good SP has risen so far the past few years. But that's exactly why SEA doesn't make the same deal. Now if they are having deeper money problems than they're letting on and they can get Snell to sign a deferred deal and they can move Castillo for a good return (Lee, Lewis, Erod - ouch but that's what we're talking here) then sure. But that's  a lot of If.

[tony&rodney]

1 hour ago, chpettit19 said:

If they think he's better than Montgomery or Snell that'd be a reason to trade for Castillo. If Montgomery or Snell are going to get bigger and/or longer deals that'd be a reason to trade for Castillo. If Montgomery or Snell don't want to come to MN but Castillo would accept a trade here that'd be a reason to trade for Castillo. I think it's unlikely they trade for Castillo, but I think it's an option.

It seems like quite the long shot that the Twins will spend big money on a pitcher, which is precisely why they have not been a player in the free agent market. While all things are possible making it an option, the odds of considering a trade for Castillo are nearly nil. Burnes is a possibility, but also low because he will go to FA and the cost will be a player like Brooks Lee. 

Does it seem like the eventual addition will be a surprise? We might also be surprised at the cost, which could go either way. 

[chpettit19]

11 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

It seems like quite the long shot that the Twins will spend big money on a pitcher, which is precisely why they have not been a player in the free agent market. While all things are possible making it an option, the odds of considering a trade for Castillo are nearly nil. Burnes is a possibility, but also low because he will go to FA and the cost will be a player like Brooks Lee. 

Does it seem like the eventual addition will be a surprise? We might also be surprised at the cost, which could go either way. 

I wouldn't bet on them trading for Castillo, but if it's a Polanco and Kepler for Castillo deal I wouldn't be shocked. He gets 1.25 mil more per year than they're about to start paying Lopez so it's not like there's no precedent for the team spending 20+ a year on a pitcher. And the salaries balance out for this year in that trade scenario so they're not adding significant payroll. I don't expect it, but if it's the type of thing that happens I won't be shocked.

Chances are the player(s) they bring in will be people who haven't been discussed on these threads yet, much like the Lopez deal last year (I don't remember his name being a popular one in December last year). And I'm actually expecting the player(s) leaving to be someone large chunks of the fanbase are not happy to see go, much like the Arraez deal last year. In general, I don't think there's any names, coming or going, that can be taken off the trade board right now.

[chpettit19]

6 hours ago, SteveLV said:

Yikes, did not realize his contract terms!  No thanks.  Very good pitcher, but Twins will never do that.  If they were willing to, they would have re-signed Gray for less years, similar money, known commodity.

I don't know if we can draw that direct of a line between Gray and Castillo. Gray got more AAV in his age 34 and on contract than Castillo has in his contract that ends in his age 34 season. Paying Castillo for his age 31-34 seasons is quite a bit different than paying Gray for his age 34-36 seasons.

[chpettit19]

4 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

My Guess is:

Yes... The Mariners would move Castillo if they could and Yes... The Mariners would hang on to the young controllable arms with all of their might. Especially if they can get a decent hitter for Castillo... They could in my opinion reinvest the money saved into another decent hitter via free agency. 

Castillo is owed 118 Million over the next 5 years. 

Kirby, Miller and Woo are still pre-arb. 

Gilbert is in the first year of arbitration. 

Trading Castillo seems like the most obvious move to me... if of course... Castillo waives that no-trade. Which he would probably do... if properly compensated in return. 

 

 

Agree with this idea, but Castillo has 4 years and 91 mil left on his deal. If he hits his vesting option in 2028 it'll likely mean he was worth every penny of that deal as he needs to get to 180 IP in 2027 for it to vest.

[TopGunn#22]

This is a very interesting proposition and not out of the realm of possibility.  I'd be VERY interested in Luis Castillo.  In Cincy, he was CLEARLY the staff Ace, rated far more highly than Sonny Gray and clearly better in every respect.  And he's younger than Gray by several years.

With Seattle looking to hoard their younger, controllable arms yet still needing to add offense (have you looked at what their potential lineup looks like if the season started today)?  I think it's very much "in play" that Castillo could be traded.  Seattle would need to "win" the trade as well as have a savings of at least $10 million.  Here's a trade I would propose:

Twins

00

NAME	AGE	LEVEL	P1	P2	AVAILABILITY	YEARS	AFV	SALARY	SURPLUS	LOW	MEDIAN	HIGH
Luis Castillo	31	Majors	SP		Low	5	138.7	121.6	17.1	13.7	17.1	20.6
Emerson Hancock	24	Majors	SP			6	7.7	3.9	3.8	3	3.8	4.5

Total Value:

20.90

Mariners

00

NAME	AGE	LEVEL	P1	P2	AVAILABILITY	YEARS	AFV	SALARY	SURPLUS	LOW	MEDIAN	HIGH
Trevor Larnach	27	Majors	OF		Low	4	9.2	5.6	3.6	2.9	3.6	4.3
Jorge Polanco	30	Majors	2B		Low	2	31.9	22.5	9.4	7.6	9.4	11.3
David Festa	23	Minors	SP			0	0	0	8.7	7	8.7	10.4

Total Value:

21.7

Seattle gets Polanco and Larnach.  Two bats that give their lineup a jolt.  Polanco takes over at 2B and Larnach in RF.  Polanco could play 3B if the Mariners wanted Ryan Bliss to play 2B.  Polanco replaces Suarez and Larnach replaces Teo Hernandez in the currently punch-less Mariner lineup.  The Mariners also get a promising young SP (Festa) to replace Emerson Hancock.  Robby Ray is set to come back midway through the 2024 season.

Instead of getting a questionable #2 to replace Gray and slot behind Lopez, the Twins get a #1 who pushes Lopez to #2.  How exciting would it be to go into a playoff with Castillo and Lopez pitching games 1 & 2?  Hancock enters the mix for a depth #5 SP with Paddack and Varland.  This could also free Varland up for a year as the Twins 8th inning guy.  Larnach will be passed up by Emmanuel Rodriguez by the end of 2024 or early 2025.  Walker Jenkins is lurking.  Even Mercedes, a young 18 year old OF is lurking.  The Twins still have Kepler for at least half of 2024.   

The Twins would have to overpay slightly to make this happen and they could still deal Kepler for prospects if they felt they had to cut more payroll to accommodate Castillo's contract.  The Twins also get cost certainty for the life of Castillo's contract and at $23 million per and his talent, he'll be worth it to age 34-35.  Castillo, Lopez, Ryan, Ober, then Paddack, Varland, Hancock.  That's talent and depth in the rotation, for several years.  Adding Varland to the bullpen with the chance that Matt Canterino joins at sometime is also quite intriguing.  

 

[Riverbrian]

16 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

Agree with this idea, but Castillo has 4 years and 91 mil left on his deal. If he hits his vesting option in 2028 it'll likely mean he was worth every penny of that deal as he needs to get to 180 IP in 2027 for it to vest.

I think the new Glasnow deal with the Dodgers makes him a really good comparison to Luis Castillo. Years, Money, Age, Ability is all comparable. 

[TopGunn#22]

The difference between Castillo and Glasnow though, is that Castillo has been a horse in the past and Glasnow has never had a season in which he didn't miss significant time, Riverbrain.  That's why I think Castillo would be an excellent target for the here and now as well as through his age 34 season.  

[chpettit19]

6 minutes ago, TopGunn#22 said:

This is a very interesting proposition and not out of the realm of possibility.  I'd be VERY interested in Luis Castillo.  In Cincy, he was CLEARLY the staff Ace, rated far more highly than Sonny Gray and clearly better in every respect.  And he's younger than Gray by several years.

With Seattle looking to hoard their younger, controllable arms yet still needing to add offense (have you looked at what their potential lineup looks like if the season started today)?  I think it's very much "in play" that Castillo could be traded.  Seattle would need to "win" the trade as well as have a savings of at least $10 million.  Here's a trade I would propose:

Twins

00

NAME	AGE	LEVEL	P1	P2	AVAILABILITY	YEARS	AFV	SALARY	SURPLUS	LOW	MEDIAN	HIGH
Luis Castillo	31	Majors	SP		Low	5	138.7	121.6	17.1	13.7	17.1	20.6
Emerson Hancock	24	Majors	SP			6	7.7	3.9	3.8	3	3.8	4.5

Total Value:

20.90

Mariners

00

NAME	AGE	LEVEL	P1	P2	AVAILABILITY	YEARS	AFV	SALARY	SURPLUS	LOW	MEDIAN	HIGH
Trevor Larnach	27	Majors	OF		Low	4	9.2	5.6	3.6	2.9	3.6	4.3
Jorge Polanco	30	Majors	2B		Low	2	31.9	22.5	9.4	7.6	9.4	11.3
David Festa	23	Minors	SP			0	0	0	8.7	7	8.7	10.4

Total Value:

21.7

Seattle gets Polanco and Larnach.  Two bats that give their lineup a jolt.  Polanco takes over at 2B and Larnach in RF.  Polanco could play 3B if the Mariners wanted Ryan Bliss to play 2B.  Polanco replaces Suarez and Larnach replaces Teo Hernandez in the currently punch-less Mariner lineup.  The Mariners also get a promising young SP (Festa) to replace Emerson Hancock.  Robby Ray is set to come back midway through the 2024 season.

Instead of getting a questionable #2 to replace Gray and slot behind Lopez, the Twins get a #1 who pushes Lopez to #2.  How exciting would it be to go into a playoff with Castillo and Lopez pitching games 1 & 2?  Hancock enters the mix for a depth #5 SP with Paddack and Varland.  This could also free Varland up for a year as the Twins 8th inning guy.  Larnach will be passed up by Emmanuel Rodriguez by the end of 2024 or early 2025.  Walker Jenkins is lurking.  Even Mercedes, a young 18 year old OF is lurking.  The Twins still have Kepler for at least half of 2024.   

The Twins would have to overpay slightly to make this happen and they could still deal Kepler for prospects if they felt they had to cut more payroll to accommodate Castillo's contract.  The Twins also get cost certainty for the life of Castillo's contract and at $23 million per and his talent, he'll be worth it to age 34-35.  Castillo, Lopez, Ryan, Ober, then Paddack, Varland, Hancock.  That's talent and depth in the rotation, for several years.  Adding Varland to the bullpen with the chance that Matt Canterino joins at sometime is also quite intriguing.  

 

If Seattle would take that deal I think the Twins should absolutely do that. I don't know that Seattle would be super happy with Larnach's K rate (they seem to be trying to cut their Ks next year), but it's not an outlandish idea and I think the Twins should be willing to do something like that.

[chpettit19]

9 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

I think the new Glasnow deal with the Dodgers makes him a really good comparison to Luis Castillo. Years, Money, Age, Ability is all comparable. 

Glasnow getting 30 a year while only making 20+ starts once in his career (21 last year) makes me think the Castillo deal is a steal.