HOUSTON — All-star Luis Castillo will make his debut for the Seattle Mariners when he takes on the New York Yankees on Wednesday.
The Mariners acquired the right-hander from Cincinnati on Friday in hopes of increasing their rotation while chasing their first playoff spot since 2001. Their post-season drought is the longest in the big four North American professional sports.
At 55-48, Seattle is 12 games behind Houston in American League West standings but ranks second for one of three wildcard playoff spots. Manager Scott Servais said Sunday that Castillo will start the series finale in New York.
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Castillo, perhaps the top entrant in this year’s trading market, joins a rotation that includes Logan Gilbert, Robbie Ray, Marco Gonzales and Chris Flexen.
Castillo’s last start for the Reds came on Wednesday. The 29-year-old was 4-4 with a 2.86 ERA for last-seeded Cincinnati this season. He has 90 strikeouts and only 28 walks in 85 innings.
His strong showing comes a year after he had a career-worst 8-16 record, which saw his biggest losses in the National League, and had a 3.98 ERA.
The Reds brought in fielders Noelvi Marte and Edwin Arroyo and right-handers Levi Stoudt and Andrew Moore into trades. Marte was the Mariners’ top-rated prospect, with Arroyo third and Stoudt fifth.