Luis Castillo Reflects on Time With Seattle Mariners

SEATTLE — One of most recognizable names in the current era of the Seattle Mariners will be heading to the Windy City.

It was announced Saturday that the Mariners traded starting pitcher Luis Castillo to the Chicago White Sox in return for catching/outfield prospect Boston Smith, Triple-A outfielder Nolan Jones and high-leverage reliever Seranthony Dominguez. Chicago will take over the remainder of Castillo's salary for this year, next year and his potential $25 million vesting option for 2028.

The deal marks the end to a four-year tenure in the Pacific Northwest for Castillo, who was acquired by Seattle in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds in 2022 and was instrumental in breaking the team's 21-year playoff drought.

He earned one of three career All-Star selections with the Mariners in 2023.

Castillo was signed to a long-term extension after helping lead Seattle to the playoffs and helped serve as a mentor for the team's current starting rotation, which is comprised completely of players drafted and developed by the organization.

"You got to start off by thanking (Castillo) and all he meant to the organization when he was here (and) what he has meant as a role model for a lot of these younger pitchers," Mariners manager Dan Wilson said in a pregame interview Sunday. "Just the player he was, the pitcher he was, the person he was. He meant a lot to this organization."

Castillo was a part of a lot of the most crucial moments in recent Seattle history. He pitched a 7.1-inning shutout start in the team's 4-0 wild card win against the Toronto Blue Jays on Oct. 4,  2022, the club's first playoff game in 21 years.

In the Mariners' 15-inning, Game 5 American League Divisional Series showdown against the Detroit Tigers on Oct. 10, 2025, Castillo pitched 1.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen in the 14th and 15th innings. Then-Seattle second baseman Jorge Polanco hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 15th to send the M's to their first American League Championship Series since 2001.

"Very impactful (to me)," Castillo said via interpreter Freddy Llanos on Sunday at T-Mobile Park. "Very grateful to be part of two of the biggest celebrations that this team had and to play a role. I had gone to the playoffs with Cincinnati but it was during COVID. But being part of this, what we did with this team, (I'm) very grateful."

Castillo will be look to help lead a young White Sox team to the playoffs, similar to what he did after the Mariners acquired him, while his now-former club will be looking to get back to playoff contention, starting with a rubber match of a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins on Sunday.