Seranthony Domínguez is slipping as Mariners' centerpiece in Luis Castillo trade

As much as Luis Castillo's remaining salary was the main reason for moving him, obtaining Seranthony Domínguez as part of the return haul was also considered a win. Seemingly, the Mariners now had a reliever who could help their beleaguered bullpen. Instead, we're already at a point where Boston Smith is showing that perhaps he should be main positive to come out of the Castillo trade.

Even at the time of the deal, we were already suggesting it was too good to be true that the Mariners were getting Smith as a trade piece from the White Sox. In fact we were almost suspicious, wondering if Chicago knew something about the 23-year-old, that no one else did. Overall though, as much as he was not a sure thing by any stretch, he was also a bonafide prospect.

Smith was immediately slotted in as the Mariners' No. 14 prospect, and he's gone on to have a ridiculously hot start in Double-A Arkansas. This is no hyperbole either, with him hitting five home runs and gathering nine RBI for a 1.554 OPS in six games. This included two more bombs on Sunday, for his first multi-homer game at the Double-A level:

This stunning start to Smith's tenure with the Mariners organization is effectively just more of the same. He has seen a rapid rise through the minor league system in his first year of pro ball, with him actually performing better each time he moves up. Overall this season he has batted .297 with 27 home runs and a 1.076 OPS across three levels, while hitting .323 with 13 homers and a 1.243 OPS in Double-A specifically.

Seranthony Domínguez's disastrous M's debut in stark contrast to Boston Smith's early success

Meanwhile, Domínguez couldn't have gotten off to a much worse start with the Mariners, allowing four hits, two walks and four earned runs in a debut which only lasted one out. In fairness, he has bounced back from this disaster by allowing no runs in his next two appearances. However, it's going to take more than this to justify a salary which is the most expensive among all M's relievers.

Smith, on the other hand, promises to continue giving more reasons for the Mariners fanbase to get excited. We appreciate he's a sixth-rounder and not a lot of them go on to become stars. Still, every now and then there's a Sal Bando, a Tim Hudson, a Ben Zobrist or, closer to home, a Jamie Moyer.

This is not to suggest we're outright predicting close to the level of success Moyer enjoyed in Seattle or the majors in general. However, it helps that Smith has already proven his ability to overcome adversity, going from being undrafted in 2024 to becoming a sixth-round pick the following year. And with a tremendous mindset like his, it perhaps shouldn't be a surprise he has surpassed Domínguez as the M's main acquisition from the Castillo trade.

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