The Seattle Mariners lost to the Minnesota Twins on Monday night at Target Field, dropping an 11-4 contest that dropped them to 14-16 through the first 30 games of the season.

Starting pitcher Luis Castillo was battered for seven runs over five innings, marking the fifth consecutive average-to-below average start. The M's are 1-4 in those games and Castillo has an ERA over eight in that time. 

With Bryce Miller nearing a return from the injured list in the next three weeks or so, there is speculation about Castillo's future in the rotation. Could he be sent to the bullpen? Released? Traded? Put on the injured list? 

Regardless of how it's done, a Miller for Castillo trade off in the rotation seems like the easiest thing to do, at least for a period of time, but many fans are also starting to wonder if top prospect Kade Anderson could insert himself into the conversation.

Anderson, drafted No. 3 overall by the Mariners in 2025 out of LSU, made his professional debut earlier this month and has wowed. Through four games at Double-A Arkansas, Anderson is 1-0 with a 0.48 ERA. He's struck out 30 batters in 18.2 innings and has allowed just one earned run.

There was always the thought that Anderson could get to the big leagues this season, but is he pushing the envelope even more than we thought?

I discussed this on the latest 'Refuse to Lose' podcast:

"And I will say this. I know it is an imperfect comparison, but just listen to what I'm saying for a moment.

Paul Skenes is one of the best pitching prospects we have ever seen. Paul Skenes threw only 34 minor league innings. But he threw 235 college innings. So that's 269 innings that Paul Skenes threw between college and the minors before he came to the big leagues. Oh, by the way, Paul Skenes throws 100 miles an hour. Paul Skenes is 6'6 and thick and built to withstand major workloads. Paul Skenes has the physique and the velocity going for him, and he still had 269 innings of seasoning.

Kade Anderson threw 157 in college, I believe. And has 18 more innings in the pros, that is 175 innings.

Again, it's a bit apples and oranges. But Paul Skenes, who's better physically than Kade Anderson is, and better physically stuff-wise than Kade Anderson is, had 90-plus more innings under his belt than Kade Anderson has right now.

I don't believe the Mariners want to bring Anderson up at a much more accelerated rate than that, as long as there are no injuries."

Once Miller comes back, the Mariners are going to be looking to find a way to take a pitcher out of the rotation, they won't be looking to introduce more chaos by finding a way to insert another pitcher in and take another out, at least I don't think

Again, injuries can change everything about a player's timeline, as it did for Miller and Bryan Woo in 2023, but if the Mariners have their way about them, I think they will do what they can to hold off Anderson until July at the earliest, and probably August or September.

Anderson will clearly be dealing with an innings limit this season and the Mariners will have greater control over that the longer he stays in the minors.

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