Could the Latest Update on Luis Castillo Push the Chicago Cubs Hand?

[Matthew Lenz]

The Cubs’ clearest deadline priority is starting pitching, driven by a rotation and bullpen that have been hit hard by injuries throughout the season. On the other side of the ball, their lineup is likely limited to a bench bat rather than guys who could contribute daily. If they were to strike a deal, it would likely come from the team’s hitting prospect depth, since pitching is the far greater organizational need.

One option who's been on the market is Luis Castillo of the Seattle Mariners. Daniel Kramer of MLB.com is reporting that the Seattle Mariners are willing to eat part of Luis Castillo's contract to help facilitate a deal.

Castillo, 33, has had a down year, posting a 4.85 ERA (4.37 FIP) with a 12.9% strikeout-minus-walk rate across 94 2/3 innings. This comes after seven consecutive seasons of sub-4 FIPs and five straight seasons of a K-BB north of 15%. Despite all that success, a down 2026, an impending lockout, and a $24+ million salary for the next two years make him a little less attractive on the open market. He also has a vesting option for 2028 that locks in if he reaches the 180 IP mark in 2027. It's not clear if that number gets prorated based on a lockout/shortened season.

Do you think the Cubs should move a hitting prospect for the southpaw? Join the conversation in the comments!

 

 

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[Tryptamine]

Can we stop advocating dumpster diving. 

[Jason Ross]

Castillo is an interesting case. On one hand, a lot of his numbers are kind of what they've been. His K% is within around 1% of where it was last year, he's not walking guys, his Stuff+ is the same, his arm angle is the same, the velo is fine, he's not giving up a lot of HR's and the LOB% is low for what it probably should be.

But then you look at the whole and it's just not working this year. The fastball last lost some shape, which you can see in Stuff+ and it's movement profile on Savant, his K% was down below average last year. He's getting less chase and his savant page last year wasn't sparkling. So is it just the hens coming to roost?

With that said, I'm mostly "out" on Castillo. If you can bring the K% up to where it was before last year, or there's some mechanical thing the Cubs really believe in he could be a cheap, controlled SP. But I'd rather just pay up for someone better, Or even a rental.