White Sox acquire right-hander Castillo from Mariners
The Chicago White Sox acquired right-handed pitcher Luis Castillo from the Seattle Mariners on Saturday in a four-player trade. The White Sox sent reliever Seranthony Dominguez, outfielder Nolan Jones, and catching prospect Boston Smith to Seattle. Castillo, 33, is in the fourth year of a five-year, $108 million contract.
The Chicago White Sox acquired right-handed pitcher Luis Castillo from the Seattle Mariners on Saturday in a four-player trade, according to ESPN. The White Sox sent reliever Seranthony Dominguez, outfielder Nolan Jones, and catching prospect Boston Smith to Seattle.
Castillo, 33, is in the fourth year of a five-year, $108 million contract, which includes a vesting option for 2028. He carries postseason experience, a resource none of Chicago's other current starters possess, per ESPN. However, this season represents the worst year of his career. Castillo is 3-9 with a 5.06 ERA over 17 starts while giving up 107 hits in 99.5 innings, according to ESPN. He posted a 3.54 ERA over 180 innings last season and holds a 3.65 career ERA over 10 seasons.
Castillo's numbers have been worse while playing in pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park this year, according to ESPN. The White Sox rotation has recently featured Anthony Kay, Erick Fedde, and rookie Noah Schultz, with Fedde and Schultz delivering strong outings this weekend against the first-place Rays. Schultz is likely to be moved out of the rotation; Chicago used an opener for him in a 1-0 loss on Saturday.
Dominguez, 31, was 4-3 with a 4.10 ERA and 12 saves over 42 appearances for the White Sox. He signed a two-year, $20 million contract with Chicago before this season and is signed through 2027. According to ESPN, Dominguez's salary offsets the large commitment the team is taking on in acquiring Castillo.
Jones, 28, has been at Triple-A all season after stints in Cleveland's and Colorado's organizations. Smith, 23, was Chicago's 15th ranked prospect and was hitting .306 at Double-A in 22 games before the trade, per ESPN.
The White Sox indicated they are still working on acquiring more talent before Monday's trade deadline. Another starter and or reliever could be a possibility, and replenishing their catching depth is also under consideration given that starter Kyle Teel is out for most of what remains of the regular season, according to ESPN.
The White Sox acquired a 33-year-old starting pitcher with postseason experience but in the worst year of his career, offsetting his large salary commitment through the trade of a productive reliever.
The White Sox rotation now includes a veteran with October experience, but Castillo arrives in the worst year of his career. Whether the environment change from Seattle's pitcher-friendly park and the addition of other deadline pieces can restore his performance will shape Chicago's playoff viability.
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Sources
Also reported by The Seattle Times, Sox Machine, Bleacher Nation, Newsday. Independent coverage of the same development, found by search; not this story's sources.
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