Orioles Pull Off Blockbuster Trade: Orioles Acquire Mariners’ Ace in Massive Trade

The Baltimore Orioles have a major hole still to fill in their starting rotation and could use a trade to finally complete the task.

Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer posted a proposed deal that could potentially get a new ace in town for a relatively low price.

Rymer suggested the Orioles trade first baseman Ryan Mountcastle to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for right-handed starter Luis Castillo.

While Mountcastle could contribute to the team next season, bringing in a top-level starting pitcher is a much larger worry given the depth that Baltimore has on in the infield.

Castillo is better than any non-Roki Sasaki free agent pitcher on the market. He posted a 3.64 ERA last season and it was his worst campaign in a couple of years.

The 32-year-old is a three-time All-Star that still has three-years left at $24.5 million per, so it would be a long term solution as well as short term.

There is also a vesting option in 2028 that turns into a $5 million team option if he misses at least 130 days one year with a UCL injury.

Castillo doesn’t walk many batters and strikes them out at a solid rate.

He has one of the best fastballs in the league as it sits over 95 MPH and has a ton of break. Adding that level of dominance to the starting rotation could be enough to push this staff into the next level.

Additions to the pitching staff already made by the Orioles this year include Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano.

Both are intriguing veterans that could anchor down a rotation, but still aren’t exactly Corbin Burnes replacements. Baltimore going into their next campaign with Zach Eflin is their top ace feels like a disaster waiting to happen.

That is why it would be fair to move on from Mountcastle to get the job done.

The 27-year-old is entering his final two years of team control and coming off of a .271/.308/.425 slash line with 13 home runs. He has shown more power potentail in the past, but has been fairly consistent with his OPS.

Baltimore has Coby Mayo waiting to stick on the MLB roster and Samuel Basallo is not very far behind him. They have plenty of talent to fill in at first, so there is not much chance that the Orioles want to extend Mountcastle.

They might as well trade him before then and get at least some solid return back, rather than letting him walk for free after next season.