The Seattle Mariners recently made the decision to extend their franchise catcher, Cal Raleigh, on a deal reportedly worth $105 million over six years.
Because of this, the Mariners could look to cut ties with some of the more expensive players on their roster.
Chris Landers of FanSided recently predicted the Mariners would cut ties with ace Luis Castillo following their expensive decision to extend Raleigh’s contract.
“The righty has three years and $72.45 million remaining on his current deal, still pretty team-friendly considering his track record (even in a down year in 2024, he still pitched to a 3.64 ERA) and the way the pitching market has ballooned in recent years,” Landers wrote. “Most teams would kill for that production at that price point, but the Mariners’ pitching depth gives them the luxury of viewing him as a trade chip.
“Now that Raleigh’s locked up, the team should be even more motivated to free up that salary for use elsewhere, comfortable in the knowledge that Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryce Miller, Bryan Woo, and Emerson Hancock can pick up the slack in his absence.”
Castillo has been at the center of trade rumors all offseason long, but the Raleigh extension could be the nail in the coffin for Castillo’s career with Seattle.
Though his contract is considered team-friendly by most, the Mariners aren’t the kind of team that spends a tremendous amount of money. Pair that with Seattle’s incredibly deep pitching depth and you have the perfect recipe for a Castillo trade to come to fruition.
Teams like the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, and Boston Red Sox make sense as potential suitors in a blockbuster trade.
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