sailors and Luis Castillo Agree on a five-year, $108 million extension, according to Jeff Bassan from ESPN. There is a 6-year vesting option that can total up to $133 million. MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer Reports indicate that the vesting option will start if Castillo throws at least 180 runs in 2027. Basan Add That the Mariners would receive a $5 million option for the 2028 season if Castillo undergoes a UCL overhaul procedure that causes him to lose more than 130 days in the 2025-2027 window. Ken Rosenthal from The Athletic Relays that Castillo will have complete no-trade protection for the first three years. Castillo was due to become a free agent after the 2023 season, but will instead stay with the Mariners for at least another four years after that.
The club has since announced the deal, which includes statements from both Chief of Baseball Operations Jerry DePoto and Castillo himself. “Lewis has been one of the best shooters in MLB for the past six seasons,” DiPoto said. “He is a dynamic power shooter at the height of his career and has a proven track record of consistency. Bringing him to Seattle is an important moment in our ongoing effort to build the Championship roster. Likewise, this deal demonstrates our continued commitment to the present and future of this team.”
“I feel great,” Castillo said. “Every baseball player wants a dream like this to become a reality. I am happy that I was able to make it happen with the Mariners and I want to thank everyone in the organization for treating me so well.”
Castillo, 29, started his major football career with the Reds, establishing himself as an excellent starting player. From his debut in 2017 through 2021, he made a 123rd start and descended to an ERA of 3.72. This score is even more impressive given the Great American Ball Park’s batter-friendly nature, with both Statcast and ESPN ranking second only to Coors Field in this division. He’s been able to achieve this level of success by having hitters on 53.9% of hitters while 26.2% of hitters are facing, both well above the league average. He also showed adequate control, walking 8.8% of hitters to the plate, a sign of close to the league average. He’s had 14.5 wins over substitution in the time, according to FanGraphs, a mark that ranks in the top 20 of all shooters in the league.
The Reds’ latest unofficial season has made an inauspicious start, as general manager Nick Krall He said The club “must align our salaries with our resources and continue to focus on exploring and developing young talent from within our system” following Tucker BarnhartTiger trade. Trade rumors immediately started swirling around Castillo, along with his fellow rotations Sony Gray And the Tyler Mahley. Gray will be dealt with Minnesota in March, but the Reds held out for Mahle and Castillo to start the year. Castillo slowed down with some shoulder pain early in camp but returned to the hill in May and showed no rust when retaking the hill. By 14 starts with Cincy, he’s had an era of 2.86 along with a 47.1% globe average, 25.8% strike rate, and 8% walk rate.
Despite Castillo’s contributions, it was no surprise that the Reds had generally poor results with their ongoing sell-off. Castillo has once again been the focus of trade rumors as the deadline approaches, with the Padres, Twins, Mets, Yankees, Blue Jays, Dodgers, Cardinals and Astros among those showing interest. In the end, the sailors won the bidding by sending out leads Noelfi MartíAnd the Edwin ArroyoAnd the Levi Studt And the Andrew Moore to Cincinnati. Since the trade, Castillo has continued his stellar season by making another nine starts with a 2.83 ERA average, 29.1% strike rate, 5.9% walking rate and 46% floor standing average. It looks like the M’s got exactly what they wanted from Castillo and locked him up for so long.
The price point is something of a surprise, since the last comparison is probably Jose Perios. After Blue Jays acquired Berríos last year, he was heading into his final year before free agency but agreed to a seven-year extension worth $131 million. Berríos is having a terrible year here in 2022, but he was actually pretty much on par with Castillo when he signed that deal. From 2017 to 2021, Berríos produced 15.2 fWAR, the same stretch that saw Castillo produce 14.5. Castillo agreed to delay his free agency for less money, fewer years, and a lower average annual value. Berríos’ deal with AAV comes in at $18.7, while Castillo is a flat $18 million, although if granted the option, it would take as much as $22.17 million.
For sailors, this is still a big investment in the starting pitch, which was the second in the last year. they signed Ruby Ray to a five-year, $115 million deal in November. These two will now continue to form cores in rotation for at least four seasons after this season. Logan GilbertDrafted and developed by the club, it is not due to arrive at free agency until after the 2027 season. George Kirby It lags Gilbert by one year and should be around during the 2028 campaign, giving the M’s a base four that could prove spinning for quite some time. There is, too Marco Gonzalezwhose contract runs until 2024 with the club’s option for 2025. The club is too overwhelmed to start promoting it Chris Flexenwho launched the 2023 entitlement option, was shocked by duty to act despite 3.69 ERA this season.
The Mariners haven’t made it past the season since 2001, the biggest active drought in the major playoffs. They are well positioned to seize that streak here in 2022, as they currently hold last place in the MLS Wild Cards with a three-game cushion over the Orioles. With their rotation apparently for years to come and a player core that includes Julio RodriguezAnd the GB CrawfordAnd the Eugenio Suarez And others, they should continue to compete in the future as well.
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