The Chicago Cubs front office was reportedly focused on adding a high-end starter to their rotation headed into this offseason.
Their signing of Matthew Boyd still in rebuild mode to a two-year, $29 million deal can’t be that top starter acquisition they were anticipating.
Luis Castillo of the Seattle Mariners, meanwhile, has been a name mentioned in the hot stove league for a while now as someone on the trading block for a Mariners team loaded with quality arms, but in desperate need of offense.
Castillo and the Cubs have also been mentioned in the same breath during offseason buzz, although no deal, reportedly, has been seriously pursued.
But, should that change?
Should the Cubs go after the legitimate ace with a track record of proven success?
Luis Castillo to the Chicago Cubs?
The 32-year-old Castillo has been the picture of sustained, consistent, top-of-rotation success, with a lifetime ERA of 3.56 over the course of his 8-year major league career with the Cincinnati Reds and then Mariners. As a matter of fact, Castillo’s ERA has only been above 4.0 once during his run (a 4.30 mark back in 2018).
The right-handed strikeout specialist– who has averaged 1.08 Ks per inning over 1230 career innings– would look absolutely dazzling atop a Cubs starting rotation that already boasts Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Tallion, Matthew Boyd, and Javier Assad (with some good talent possibly a season or two away in the minors).
The native of the Dominican Republic, however, would bring with him a hefty price tag.
The Price of Acquiring Castillo
Castillo’s salary of $24 million may be too steep for the budget-minded Cubs ownership. Although, looking at where the market is headed, that might actually not be too expensive for a top-of-rotation starter these days. However, a 32-year-old starter– with a good amount of innings on his arm– under contract until he’s 35 in 2028 may be too much of an investment for Chicago to consider.
There’s also the price of what the Mariners may expect in return for Castillo.
Seattle, which believes itself to be a potential post-season player right now, would, by all accounts, want at least one young, major league-ready player in the deal, along with a prospect or two.
At one time, the Cubs and Mariners were rumored to be exploring a trade that would send a starter to Chicago in exchange for a package headlined by second baseman Nico Hoerner. That talk has cooled down significantly.
But it would have to be appealing for Seattle to deal Castillo– and his salary– for the much more economical Hoerner ($11.5 million per season) and move the savings towards the pursuit of a free agent bat.
From Talk to Reality?
At this point, trade talk regarding a Mariners pitching asset is little more than buzz and exploration of deals available. But it would be surprising if the team didn’t move in that direction before the start of the season and, most likely, before the free agent talent pool starts to run dry.
For the Cubs, acquiring someone like Castillo in a package involving Hoerner would make sense from a competitive standpoint, especially with minor league stars Matt Shaw and James Triantos– both second base-possible– bursting at the seams and ready to make a run in the majors.
Money and contract issues, however, make such a deal unlikely and possibly unwise for a team like Chicago seemingly focused on budget flexibility and building from within.
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