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Seattle Mariners

Mariners sign ace Luis Castillo to five-year, $108 million extension

Starter Luis Castillo is 3-2 with a 2.83 earned-run average and 64 strikeouts since joining the Seattle Mariners on July 28. (Tribune News Service)
By Adam Jude Seattle Times

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Seattle Mariners signed ace right-hander Luis Castillo to a five-year, $108 million contract extension that will keep him in Seattle through at least the 2027 season.

Both the club and Castillo have options for 2028 that could push the value of the deal to $133 million, the team announced Saturday afternoon.

The M’s made a massive move at the trade deadline to acquire the 29-year-old Castillo from Cincinnati, sending four of their top prospects to the Reds.

Since joining Seattle on July 28, Castillo is 3-2 with a 2.83 ERA with 13 walks and 64 strikeouts in nine starts, helping the Mariners (82-68) to the cusp of their first playoff appearance since 2001.

“Luis has been one of the top pitchers in MLB over the past six seasons,” M’s president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said in a statement. “He is a dynamic power pitcher in the prime of his career with a track record of consistency. Bringing him to Seattle represented a key moment in our ongoing efforts to build a championship roster. Similarly, this deal illustrates our continued commitment to both the present and future of this team.”

ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the deal Saturday. One notable detail: If Castillo undergoes elbow surgery on his right arm between 2025-27 that keeps him out for 130 days or more, the Mariners will receive a $5 million option for 2028, Passan reported.

The contract announcement is a welcome bit of good news for a club that is in the midst of its worst road trip of the season, having lost six of eight games on this 10-day swing entering Saturday’s game against the Royals in Kansas City.

Castillo is scheduled to start the series finale Sunday.

A two-time All-Star, Castillo has made 23 starts combined between Seattle and Cincinnati this season, going 7-6 with a 2.85 ERA with 41 walks and 154 strikeouts in 139 innings.

Castillo, a native of Bani, Dominican Republic, was originally signed as an amateur free agent by the San Francisco Giants in 2011. In six MLB seasons, Castillo has made 146 career starts with Cincinnati (137) and Seattle (nine), going 47-55 with a 3.57 ERA with 300 walks and 924 strikeouts in 846.1 innings.