Jeff Passan’s take on two Seattle Mariners rumors

The baseball season is young, but it hasn’t stopped the Seattle Mariners from coming up in talks about trades and free agent acquisitions.

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On Sunday, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that the M’s have already turned down a trade this season involving starting pitcher Luis Castillo. According to Nightengale, the club was offered “a young infielder” from an unnamed team for their veteran starting pitcher. That offer came after injuries suffered by starting right fielder Victor Robles and second baseman Ryan Bliss.

Veteran designated hitter J.D. Martinez has also been brought up as a potential free agent target. MLB Network’s Greg Amsinger and Harold Reynolds (a former Mariner) suggested Martinez could be an answer to help Seattle’s offense.

ESPN MLB Insider Jeff Passan on Tuesday addressed Nightengale’s report and the possibility of Martinez signing with the Mariners during his weekly conversation with Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

Don’t count on any trades soon

Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto called trading a starting pitcher “Plan Z” after last season, but the club was reportedly listening to trade offers for Castillo that could bring in a difference-making bat during the offseason.

With the injuries to Robles and Bliss impacting an already thin lineup, and another injury keeping Jorge Polanco from playing in the field early on, it would make sense that the M’s are in the market for a bat. But Passan pointed out there are a couple of factors as to why they wouldn’t pull the trigger on trading a starting pitcher for one at this point.

“It’s too early, number one, for any trades to be happening,” Passan said. “Number two, we have no idea what George Kirby’s situation is, and I think the Mariners’ willingness to move any starting pitcher is going to depend almost entirely on whether they can get Kirby back, get Kirby healthy and get Kirby being Kirby. If they can, then it makes a little more sense.”

Kirby was shut down during spring training with right shoulder inflammation. He was scheduled to throw two bullpens last week, but neither a rehab assignment or clear timetable to return have been announced as of yet.

One big reason Seattle wouldn’t trade Castillo before Kirby makes a full return is the injury history of starter Bryan Woo, Passan said. Woo started last season on the injured list with inflammation in right elbow and spent another stint on the IL with a hamstring strain. He ended up making 22 starts (roughly two-thirds of a full workload) while pitching a career-high 121 1/3 innings.

“You’re putting yourself in a position where you haven’t seen Bryan Woo throw a full season, and that leaves you with Logan Gilbert and Bryce Miller and a big old shrug emoji with Kirby,” Passan said.

According to Passan, the M’s would need to get “exceptional value” back in a trade for Castillo at this point of the season. He used last season’s trade that sent three-time batting champion Luiz Arráez from Miami to San Diego and the 2023 trade that sent closer Aroldis Chapman from Kansas City to Texas as examples.

“While we’re looking at the return right now for the Marlins and it’s not looking great, they felt like they got really good value on it,” Passan said. “And in late May a couple of years ago, Aroldis Chapman going to the Texas Rangers for Cole Ragans, who might be a top-five pitcher in baseball right now.”

An odd fit

If a trade doesn’t make since at this point, what about the Mariners signing the 37-year-old Martinez? Passan doesn’t believe that makes much sense, either.

Martinez, a six-time All-Star with 331 career home runs, was a slightly above-league-average bat with a 106 OPS+ last season, but he’s strictly a designated hitter, having played just three games in the outfield since 2022. The Mariners have plenty of players vying for at-bats at DH, including Polanco, Mitch Garver and Donovan Solano. It’s also a spot commonly filled by Cal Raleigh when he gets a day off from catching.

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“It’s just a question of, is the difference that JD Martinez would potentially make with the Mariners substantive enough to take away those DH at-bats from everyone else?” Passan said. “When your DH is Shohei Ohtani, it’s like, yeah, of course. When your DH is Brent Rooker, at least the last couple of seasons, yeah, that makes sense to put him there. But I don’t know that the fit for the Mariners is all that great right now.”

Brock and Salk co-host Brock Huard brought up the idea of having Martinez play first base, a position the M’s have received just a .454 OPS from thus far. It’s also a position Martinez has never played in the big leagues.

“Transitioning a guy who hasn’t played somewhere to that job on the fly, not the easiest thing to do,” Passan said. “I guess he could try, but if you’re the Mariners, are you doing a wing and a prayer on a guy defensively at first base?”

Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Listen to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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