Mariners officially ink All-Star RHP Luis Castillo to 5-year deal

The Mariners made a massive splash at the 2022 MLB Trade Deadline with the addition of two-time All-Star right-handed pitcher Luis Castillo. Now, Castillo will be in Seattle for many years to come.

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The Mariners announced Saturday afternoon that the team and Castillo are in agreement on a deal that will keep him in Seattle through 2027, with both the club and Castillo having options for the 2028 season. Castillo’s deal was initially set to end after the 2023 season.

“Luis has been one of the top pitchers in MLB over the past six seasons,” Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said in a press release announcing the contract. “He is a dynamic power pitcher in the prime of his career with a track record of consistency. Bringing him to Seattle represented a key moment in our ongoing efforts to build a championship roster. Similarly, this deal illustrates our continued commitment to both the present and future of this team.”

“I feel great,” Castillo said in the press release. “Every baseball player wants to have a dream like this become a reality. I’m happy I was able to accomplish this with the Mariners and I want to thank everybody in the organization for treating me so well.”

The deal was first reported by by ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan.

According to Passan, the deal is worth $108 million through 2027 and could be worth up to $133 million if if runs through 2028. Passan also reported that if Castillo undergoes surgery on his UCL (ligament that’s repaired in Tommy John surgery) that the Mariners will receive a $5 million option for 2028.

With Castillo locked up, the Mariners will have him, Robbie Ray, Logan Gilbert and George Kirby in the rotation through at least 2024. If Ray doesn’t opt out after that year, he will remain with the team through 2026.

Castillo, 29, has been stellar this year, especially since being traded to the Mariners from the Cincinnati Reds.

Overall in 2022, Castillo has a 2.85 ERA and 154 strikeouts across 23 starts and 139 innings. In nine starts with Seattle, his ERA is 2.83 and he’s struck out 64 batters in 54 innings pitched. 2022 was Castillo’s second All-Star nod.

The Mariners have been anchored by their pitching this year, and they bolstered an already strong rotation in a big way with the addition of Castillo in late-July.

It was one of the biggest moves of the deadline season, with the Mariners sending two top-100 shortstop prospects in Noelvi Marte and Edwin Arroyo along with prospect pitchers Levi Stoudt and Andrew Moore to the Reds in exchange for Castillo. Marte and Arroyo are the Reds’ No. 2 and 3 prospects, respectfully, on MLB Pipeline.

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