The Seattle Mariners want to contend but have had a hard time luring top talent to the state of Washington. They can entertain the trade market to shop for their offensive needs, though, specifically at third base, and could use their surplus in starting pitching to entice other teams. The Philadelphia Phillies, on the other hand, are actively looking for pitching and could be open to trading Alec Bohm.
Could the Phillies and Mariners pull off a mutually beneficial trade?
According to ESPN reporter David Schoenfield, it all adds up. He sees the Phillies and the M’s agreeing on a trade to send Luis Castillo to Philadelphia and Bohm to Seattle in this mock trade:
“Seattle’s third basemen — primarily Josh Rojas — hit .213 with 12 home runs and 49 RBIs, and Rojas was then non-tendered, leaving a hole for the Mariners to fill. They reportedly have about $16 million in payroll room to fill third base, second base (they didn’t pick up Jorge Polanco’s option), maybe DH and perhaps a reliever or two. Bohm will make about $8 million in arbitration, and his contact ability would be a nice addition for a team that led the majors in strikeouts. Of course, outside of 2024 (which was propped up by a huge April) when he posted 3.0 bWAR, Bohm has otherwise never been above 1.0 bWAR, so the Mariners certainly shouldn’t trade any of their young starters for him. But maybe dealing Luis Castillo — making $24.15 million in each of the next three seasons — works as a way to clear some payroll.”
This is not reporting, just to be clear; it’s an exercise of trades the league would like to see at the upcoming Winter Meetings, which will start on Monday. Bohm wasn’t exactly consistent for the Phillies and he is not the smoothest fielder at the hot corner (yet he improved considerably in 2024), but he did hit 44 doubles, drove in 97 runs, and posted a 115 wRC+, not to mention a 3.5 fWAR.
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The Phillies want pitching and might be open to dealing Bohm
He is also 28, so he is, in essence, a desirable asset for teams in need of some thump like the Mariners. The question here is if Seattle would be open to parting with Castillo.
It’s actually close to a fair deal. Castillo will be 32 by the time Opening Day comes and has lots of mileage in his right arm. His 3.64 ERA was good, but not spectacular, and his strikeout rate dropped from 27.3 percent in 2023 to 24.3 percent this season. Castillo is also considerably more expensive.
He remains highly effective, though, and would immediately improve the Phillies staff. Will we see these two squads agree on a trade involving these stars?
