Potential SF Giants trade for starting pitcher has likely fallen by the wayside

The SF Giants have not made a huge trade with Buster Posey as president of baseball operations, but there could be a potential splash if they went after starting pitcher Luis Castillo. However, a trade for Castillo seems much less likely now.

While the Seattle Mariners were reportedly shopping Castillo earlier in the offseason, it now sounds like they are content to keep him on the team.

The Giants were seen as a potential landing spot for Castillo this offseason with his name coming up quite a bit as a trade candidate. The Mariners seemed like they were entertaining the idea of trading from their depth of starting pitching in order to improve the roster in other areas.

SF Giants seem unlikely to land Luis Castillo via trade

We at Around the Foghorn looked at a potential trade the Giants could have offered to land Castillo which would have given up first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. since Seattle was looking for help at first base. Since then, the Mariners signed our old friend Donovan Solano to play first base so that is no longer a real need for them.

Plus, since then the Giants went out and signed veteran pitcher Justin Verlander so there is no longer a pressing need for San Francisco to add to their starting rotation. It seems like neither team would benefit as much from a trade unless Seattle was really motivated to cut payroll given the nearly $70 million in salary Castillo is owed through 2027. Yet, it seems unlikely that the current Giants ownership group would be excited to take on that kind of money given their own desire to cut payroll.

The Mariners and Giants have made good trade partners in recent years. Current Giants starter Robbie Ray was acquired in a trade last offseason that sent Anthony DeSclafani and Mitch Haniger to Seattle in exchange for Ray.

Trading for Castillo would have been the irony of all ironies for the Giants given the fact that they traded him to the Miami Marlins back in 2014 in an ill-advised trade for third baseman Casey McGehee. Castillo went on to be an All-Star pitcher with the Cincinnati Reds which made the trade look even worse.

Alas, a trade for Castillo does not seem to be in the cards at this time. It would have been interesting to see him in a Giants uniform, but both San Francisco and Seattle have taken care of their respective needs through free agency so a trade does not make as much sense anymore.