The Chicago Cubs front office has talked about adding a quality starter to their rotation ever since the hot stove league first started heating up. As a matter of fact, they’ve flat-out stated that starting pitching was their top priority this offseason.
So far, that supposed urgency has only resulted in the signing of rehabbed Cleveland Guardians starter Matthew Boyd to a two-year deal. It was a solid pickup to be sure, but not exactly the impactful addition fans were led to believe was imminent.
Chicago Cubs Looking to Add Arms
The offseason is far from over and lots can be done between now and spring training, even though most of the top starters have already been snatched up from the free agency pool.
Trade is always an option and one which the Cubs have already explored in trading for Houston Astros’ outfielder Kyle Tucker and Cleveland Guardian relief pitcher Eli Morgan.
So, could the Cubs make a deal for an established high-end starter rather than pursue the free agency leftovers?
Possibly…and some would say, likely.
Luis Castillo, On the Market…And For How Much?
Luis Castillo, by all accounts, is on the market as a trade-available asset as the Seattle Mariners look to restructure payroll and bring aboard more offense. Their crew of talented arms has been shopped around throughout the offseason, with even the Cubs tied to rumors of a deal on a couple of occasions. There’s little doubt that they’d entertain the right offer for the top-of-rotation Castillo.
Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report envisions a scenario where the Cubs could get the Mariners ace for as little as one top prospect– no. 2 Cubs prospect, outfielder Owen Caissie and some cash considerations.
Per Rymer:
“The North Siders’ rotation is arguably good enough as is, but one thing it lacked this year was swing-and-miss. Only two starting staffs allowed a higher contact rate, whereas even this lesser version of Castillo was in the 53rd percentile for whiff rate.
It’s in the Mariners’ interest that the Cubs’ farm system is loaded. So much so, in fact, that it would be worth paying down some of Castillo’s remaining money to get at one of the better players within said system.”
Is Luis Castillo The Guy?
The 32-year-old Castillo may be slightly on the down-side of his career, but he’s been a consistent, top-of-rotation success over the course of his 8-year major league career with the Cincinnati Reds and then Mariners, boasting a lifetime ERA of 3.56. Castillo’s ERA has only been above 4.0 once during his run (a 4.30 mark back in 2018).
A right-handed strikeout artist, Castillo has averaged 1.08 Ks per inning over 1230 career innings. It shouldn’t need to be said that he’d look good atop a Cubs starting rotation that already features Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Tallion, Matthew Boyd, and Javier Assad (with more quality talent a season or two away in the minors).
Would the Cubs buy into paying the lions’ share of Castillo’s salary– owed him until 2028? That’s the big question.
Given the Cubs’ recent spending patterns, it seems they’d prefer to keep their money in their wallet and only part with some of their top prospects for a younger asset with a lower price tag.
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