Finally! Official Hot Stove League thread!

[D-train]

I am obviously not proposing that we trade 3 starters here but just showing that it would likely take more than just one starter to get him.

[D-train]

Actually surprising the Castillo is so close to the other two given the Massive difference in salaries. I think those two could eventually be as good as Castillo. As a 24-25 yo he put up a 3.89 ERA a 4.12 FIP and a 110 ERA+. Pretty good but not great.

[Juliooooo]

I am obviously not proposing that we trade 3 starters here but just showing that it would likely take more than just one starter to get him.

Screenshot 2023-12-17 112214.jpg

This is funny when everyone crapped on me for not liking the trade for Castillo. We could have Snell, Marte, and still have Arroyo in the minors. We also might not have made the playoffs 2 years ago, and ownership might not be so complacent.

[D-train]

Gurriel off the board. Reasonable deal but I wasn't a big fan so I am ok with this.

[D-train]

I really hopes Soler signs elsewhere soon so I can stop hearing about him.

[D-train]

This guy has almost 10k followers and thinks signing Soler will be like Cano 2.0 Doesn't compute.

[D-train]

[harmony]

Could the trade value of Luis Castillo go up depending on the contracts landed by this offseason's free agent starters?

Castillo is guaranteed $91 million over the next four seasons with a 2028 vesting option for another $25 million. The righthander has a full no-trade clause through 2025 with a $1 million assignment bonus thereafter.

Castillo was born the same month as current free agent starters Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery. The projected contract for Snell ranges from five years, $122 million at The Athletic to seven years, $200 million at MLB Trade Rumors. Montgomery's projected contract ranges from five years, $127 million at The Athletic to six years, $150 million at MLB Trade Rumors.

Early offseason indications are that the projected free contracts have been on the conservative side (although Aaron Nola, who is six months younger than Castillo, came in near projections at seven years, $172 million).

Steamer projects 2024 WAR of 3.4 for Castillo, 3.3 for Snell and 3.2 for Montgomery (and 4.2 for Nola):

https://www.fangraphs.com/projections?p ... pe=steamer

If the Mariners are operating as if they're financially strapped, the M's could offload Castillo's contract (with his consent) for low-cost pre-arb bat. The savings could be flipped in pursuit of a replacement starter because free agent pitchers reportedly find Seattle more attractive than free agent hitters.

Would anyone trade Luis Castillo back to Cincinnati for promising third baseman Noelvi Marte, who headed the package the Mariners sent in the July 2022 trade for Castillo? The Reds could use a top-of-rotation starter.

That would be interesting.

Yes, I proposed a Castillo for Soto trade in October I believe. Reds could use him but I thought the traded him because they couldn't afford him. Maybe their budget situation has gone in the opposite direction as ours.

Well, the Reds are no longer paying Joey Votto $25 million, Mike Moustakas $16 million and Mike Minor $10 million. The top salaries so far on the 2024 Cincinnati roster are the recently signed Jeimer Candelario at $15 million, Nick Martinez at $14 million and Emilio Pagan at $8 million.

https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/payroll/

The young Reds probably view themselves as contenders in the NL Central.

[bpj]

Gurriel off the board. Reasonable deal but I wasn't a big fan so I am ok with this.

Happy we avoided him. Seems like the type that would die in T-Mobile

[Vogelbomb]

Have a feeling they're holding out for Belly and JD