Luis Castillo is suddenly doing Mariners' trade deadline outlook a huge favor

If Luis Castillo had been floated as the lone starter the Seattle Mariners would consider trading a month ago, we'd have said they'd be selling themselves short. Come on, how many teams would be desperate enough to take on a pitcher with an ERA over 6.00 and a salary over $20 million?

Well, this just in: Luis Castillo looks like Luis Castillo again.

For all the drama that surrounded his piggyback partnership with Bryce Miller, Castillo held up his end of the bargain and he didn't lose an inch in his return as a proper starter on Sunday. The three-time All-Star threw 100 pitches over 5.2 one-run innings, doing his part once again before the bullpen melted down in a 5-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers.

Perhaps more importantly, the 33-year-old's stuff looked lively on Sunday. He averaged 95.9 mph on his four-seamer, a sizable increase on his season average of 95.1 mph.

Is "The Rock" back? It sure seems that way, and that adds an interesting wrinkle to what Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reported on Friday. Though he noted that Seattle's top five starters are effectively off-limits, Castillo "figures to resurface in trade chatter."

Luis Castillo's surge shouldn't stop Mariners from seeking takers for him

The obligatory question now is whether Castillo's hot stretch will make the Mariners more reluctant to pull the trigger on a trade. There is a good argument that it should. In today's game, to have six good starters is a significant competitive advantage that should not be taken for granted.

But then again: Are the Mariners staring at their last good chance to trade Castillo?

Concerns relating to his age, fading skills and $24.15 million salaries through 2027 haven't gone away just because he's strung together a few good outings. He's nonetheless shown he still has gas in the tank, and that alone seemed unlikely not too long ago. He may have real appeal to clubs that badly need starting pitching, but which lack the prospect capital to make a play for Tarik Skubal or Freddy Peralta.

Obviously, trading Castillo just to make some money disappear is a better offseason concept than in-season concept. But if nothing else, it would allow for a cleaner rotation fit for Kade Anderson, who just keeps showing he's too good for Double-A. And even if Castillo himself didn't net much in a trade, getting his salary off the books could be the cue the team needs to go get, say, Byron Buxton.

This is not to say one can foresee a trade, but one can at least see that the window for one is opening. Either way, the Mariners must hope it stays open between now and the August 3 trade deadline.

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