10:03pm: Each groups have introduced the deal.
9:31pm: Infielder Edwin Arroyo and pitchers Andrew Moore and Levi Stoudt are additionally headed to Cincinnati, Divish experiences (on Twitter).
9:26pm: Seattle is prone to ship 4 prospects again to Cincinnati, together with high shortstop prospect Noelvi Marte, experiences Ryan Divish of the Seattle Occasions (on Twitter).
9:23pm: The Mariners are finalizing a deal to amass Luis Castillo from the Reds, experiences Jeff Passan of ESPN (Twitter link). Assuming a deal will get throughout the end line, it’ll be the most important splash of the commerce market to this point.
Castillo is maybe the prize of the beginning pitching market. He’s been of the sport’s high commerce candidates for months, with the final place Reds at all times prone to pull the set off on a deal this summer season. The suitable-hander has been one of many sport’s greatest pitchers over the previous few seasons, and he’s labored at peak kind over the previous couple months.
After lacking a number of weeks resulting from shoulder soreness to open the yr, Castillo made his season debut in early Could and has appeared like a bona fide top-of-the-rotation arm. He’s made 14 begins and labored 85 innings, pitching to a 2.86 ERA regardless of taking part in his residence video games in one of many league’s extra hitter-friendly parks. Castillo has punched out a strong 25.8% of opposing hitters in opposition to a strong 8% stroll charge. This season’s 47.1% grounder share is down a bit relative to his 2019-21 ranges, however it stays a number of factors higher than the league common.
That sort of high-end manufacturing is about what we’ve come to count on from Castillo, who has cemented himself as one of many sport’s high arms over the previous few seasons. He’s posted an ERA underneath 4.00 in every of the previous 4 seasons, carrying a cumulative 3.49 mark in 91 begins because the starting of the 2019 marketing campaign. That’s twenty fourth amongst 98 certified starters over that stretch. His 26.8% strikeout charge ranks twenty third amongst that group, and he’s twelfth with a 14.2% swinging strike share (whiffs per pitch). He’s enhances the strikeout stuff with an enormous 54.8% ground-ball share that ranks among the many high ten.
Few pitchers can match Castillo’s mixture of whiffs and grounders, and the 29-year-old backs it up with a formidable arsenal. He’s one of many more durable throwing starters, averaging simply shy of 97 MPH on each his four-seam and sinker. Castillo’s bread-and-butter secondary pitch, his changeup, is among the many sport’s high offspeed choices, and he’s gotten sturdy outcomes on his slider in current seasons as properly.
Castillo will transfer to the entrance of a rotation that all of a sudden seems to be one of many extra fearsome within the sport. The M’s signed reigning AL Cy Younger winner Robbie Ray to a five-year deal over the winter, and second-year hurler Logan Gilbert has a 2.78 ERA by way of 21 begins. Rookie George Kirby, who was usually thought of among the many high handful of pitching prospects within the sport coming into the season, has a 3.50 ERA by way of his first 13 massive league begins. Chris Flexen and Marco Gonzales aren’t high-strikeout arms, however they’re greater than succesful back-of-the-rotation sorts.
Seattle will wish to keep watch over the innings totals for Gilbert and Kirby, so there’d have been sense in even including a steady back-of-the-rotation kind. As a substitute, president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto and his employees swung larger to bolster their 54-46 membership they count on to snap the franchise’s two-decade playoff drought. Ought to they make the postseason, the entrance workplace and fanbase alike would little question really feel strongly about their capability to match opponents’ high three arms with Castillo, Ray and Gilbert.
The deal is about extra than simply the 2022 season, although, as Castillo can be arbitration-eligible for a remaining time this winter. He’s making $7.35MM this season, round $2.75MM of which has but to be paid out. He’ll earn a good increase in arbitration however nonetheless have a loads inexpensive wage — seemingly across the $12MM vary. That’s an apparent cut price for a pitcher of his caliber, making a yr and a half of his companies extremely precious.
That’s mirrored within the Reds return, which seems very sturdy. Marte and Arroyo had been the highest two prospects within the Seattle system on Baseball America’s most recent high 100, respectively checking in forty seventh and forty eighth within the league. Marte, essentially the most well-known of the group, entered the season ranked among the many sport’s high 15 farmhands within the estimation of every of Keith Regulation of the Athletic, FanGraphs and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.
A 6’3″ infielder out of the Dominican Republic, Marte is universally projected as a doable plus energy hitter able to racking up 25 or extra residence runs yearly at his peak. He has performed solely shortstop within the minors, and whereas evaluators recommend he may ultimately develop off that place, he’s anticipated to stay on the infield as a doable above-average third baseman. He’s spent the yr in Excessive-A as a 20-year-old, placing up a formidable .270/.360/.460 line with 15 homers, a powerful 10.8% stroll charge and a manageable 21.1% strikeout share by way of 389 plate appearances.
Arroyo, 18, was Seattle’s second-round decide in final yr’s draft. The Puerto Rico native has already notably elevated in his first full skilled season, raking at a .316/.385/.514 clip in Low-A. He’s collected 13 homers and 19 doubles and stolen 21 bases. That sort of offensive efficiency was sudden, because the switch-hitter entered the season extra well-regarded for his potential plus protection at shortstop than his bat.
Stoudt not too long ago checked in because the M’s #10 prospect. The 24-year-old righty has struggled at Double-A this yr, pitching to a 5.28 ERA throughout 87 innings. He has a barely below-average 22% strikeout charge and a tiny 5.9% stroll share that look extra palatable, nonetheless. BA writes that he works within the 94-98 MPH vary along with his fastball and has a strong array of secondary choices, led by his changeup. The 2019 Third-round decide must be added to the Reds 40-man roster this offseason to maintain him from being chosen within the Rule 5 draft. He’s usually considered a doable back-of-the-rotation starter.
Moore, to not be confused with the previous Seattle starter of the identical identify, was a 14th-round pick of junior faculty final yr. The 22-year-old righty has labored solely out of the bullpen in Low-A, posting a 1.95 ERA by way of 32 1/3 innings with a ridiculous 43.6% strikeout charge. He’s usually going through youthful competitors and has walked virtually 13% of opponents, however BA not too long ago wrote that he includes a 95-97 MPH fastball and a swing-and-miss breaking pitch. He’ll add an attention-grabbing decrease degree bullpen arm to the Cincinnati system.
Extra to come back.
