ESPN trade proposal has Cubs landing pitcher Luis Castillo |
By now, everyone knows that the Cubs are trying to improve their roster, but they are trying to do so unconventionally. Instead of spending money like a typical big-market team would, Tom Ricketts and Jed Hoyer are trying to cut corners and treat the luxury tax like a salary cap.
That takes them out of play for most of the highly prized free agents and forces the Cubs to look at secondary options with the hopes of catching lightning in a bottle. The acquisition of Matthew Boyd is a prime example of that, as they paid him based on his performance from last year instead of his career mark. Boyd does fill an area of need for the team, but there were way better starters on the market than him. Knowing what we know and how this team continues to operate in the offseason, any roster improvements are going to have to come either internally or through the trade market. The Cubs have already entered the trade market by getting Eli Morgan but expect more trades. In case you missed it, ESPN's David Schoenfield laid out a recent trade proposal that not only lands the Cubs a front-line starter but also removes nearly 40 million dollars of salary from the Cubs roster to free up space for additional moves. As expected, the move is with the Seattle Mariners, as the Cubs would send Nico Hoerner to the Mariners in exchange for righty handed pitcher Luis Castillo and C Harry Ford. Losing Hoerner would be a tough pill to swallow, but he has been rumored to be on the block since the end of the season, and getting rid of him would open up a path for Matt Shaw to take over second. The second part of that deal involves a third team, which would see Cody Bellinger go to the Phillies and Alec Bohm go to the Mariners. This may seem like a bad trade on paper, but it's no secret that the Cubs are shopping Bellinger, so don't be surprised to see him get moved. You would like to get something back for Bellinger no matter where you send him, too, but as long as you can replace his production in the lineup in some aspect, it does benefit the Cubs in the long run. Getting back to the meat of the trade, Castillo is clearly the centerpiece of this deal. Seattle is looking for offensive help as well as second-base help, and that is where Hoerner falls into the conversation. Given that Seattle has an excess of starting pitching, Castillo could be the odd man out as he not only has the highest salary among the pitchers but is also the oldest. Now, at 31 years old, Castillo is starting to come out of his prime and may not be considered an Ace anymore. However, he is still a top-of-the-rotation arm who would instantly slide into the No. 3 spot in the Cubs' rotation. Although his 11-12 season in 2024 was down for his standards, his 3.64 ERA was right in line with his career 3.56 ERA. Run support has been an issue for Castillo most of his career, as he has gone 73-76 with a 3.56 ERA thus far. This is precisely why wins and losses are the most useless statistics when evaluating Castillo, as he has pitched far better than his record indicates. Once someone who could consistently touch 98-99 MPH, Castillo has seen a slight decline, but his heater is still in the 96 MPH range. However, it's the offspeed stuff that continues to stand out. His 91 MPH slider and 89 MPH changeup are plus offerings, with the changeup being his best pitch. Looking at Ford for a minute, that would be a massive blow for the Mariners, but with Cal Raleigh as one of the best catchers in baseball, he does become expendable.
Ford, at the very least, would give the Cubs a better backup catcher option than Matt Thaiss and will be the catcher of the future, depending on what Moises Ballesteros ends up doing. Still just 21 years old, Ford has a long future ahead for him in MLB and has yet to reach the MLB level. Still, his minor league production gives both the Mariners and Cubs the confidence they need, as he is coming off a season where he hit .249 with seven homers and 45 RBIs.
All those numbers were down from his 2023 numbers when he belted a career-high 15 bombs and 67 RBIs, as he does have plenty of offensive upside. Not only does he have upside from a power side, but he has one of the best eyes in the game and continues to walk nearly as much as he strikes out. That is a rare trait in today's game, especially for a catcher, as Ford would instantly become a top-12 guy in the Cubs system.
Losing anyone from your MLB roster is a bad sign, but when the Cubs have to improve their roster, they must do it in any way possible.
Bellinger has always seemed like the most likely candidate to go, especially after having a down season last year compared to 2023. That's not to say he had a bad season, but it wasn't a 30-million-dollar season, and the Cubs are worried he won't be able to produce at that level again.
Hoerner would hurt the most, especially when you consider how much the fans adore him. However, after seeing a decline in many of his offensive stats last season and then going through off-season surgery, there are some questions about how he will recover from his injury.
This is just one of the many trade proposals swirling around, and the Cubs need to act now to better their franchise.
