The New York Yankees will have to hope that multiple arms become available at the trade deadline. Not only do they need to replace Gerrit Cole, but they need an ace-caliber starter, and unless there are multiple available, there’s a good chance the Yankees will be outbid.
There are a few ways the Yankees could go, but taking a look at right-handed Luis Castillo could be a wise decision. The Seattle Mariners starter has been very good over the past few years, but with the Mariners’ offense already showing flaws, there’s a chance this team could be out of playoff contention by the summer months.
Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report named him a trade candidate, adding that he could be dealt due to their offense.
In a proposed trade from Heavy Sports, the Yankees could send Spencer Jones and more for Castillo, depending on who the Mariners would want.
“Though he does have a full no-trade clause through the end of this season that they would need to navigate, moving Castillo before the season began would have saved the M’s more than $72M from 2025-27—with which they could have been more realistically in the market for a Pete Alonso or Alex Bregman.
“While that ship has sailed, the 32-year-old ace could still be on the trade block this summer, if managing a grand total of eight runs during the season-opening four-game series against the Athletics is a sign of what’s to come once again from this offense,” Miller wrote.
Yankees Pitching Staff Killed by Injuries
During the offseason, the New York Yankees thought their pitching staff would be one of the best in Major League Baseball. Unfortunately, the Yankees couldn’t control the injuries they faced right before the start of the regular season, putting them in a brutal position.
However, what’s important here is that Castillo was available by the Seattle Mariners. If the Yankees wanted him, he was available, and Castillo understood that.
“Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander kept Castillo apprised that such talks were taking place via Castillo’s agent, Rafa Nieves of Republik Sports.
“But they never reached negotiations where asking Castillo to waive the no-trade clause that he carries through the end of 2025 was on the table. That clause expires after this season, after which Castillo will have two years and $48 million remaining, with a $25 million vesting option for ‘28,” Daniel Kramer of MLB.com wrote.
Yankees Didn’t Have Interest in Him in Offseason
Despite the Seattle Mariners making him available, it’s been reported that the New York Yankees didn’t show interest in him.
However, at the trade deadline in 2022, the Yankees were one of the teams that wanted the potential Ace.
“The Yankees — who were believed to finish runner-up to the Mariners in the bidding to acquire Castillo from the Reds at the 2022 Trade Deadline — never called, according to a source, which makes sense given that they signed Max Fried for eight years and $218 million. Castillo joked that he probably wouldn’t have complied with their appearance policy that wouldn’t allow him to keep his dreadlocks.”
While it’s a few years later, and Castillo has more innings in his arm, that could be a good indication that the Yankees will show interest again in the future.
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