Tigers Rumors: Mariners ace linked to Detroit in surprising trade buzz

Although free agent signings haven't totally gotten into full swing yet this offseason, the Detroit Tigers' (near) total silence on that front has been alarming. They got fans' hopes up quickly after their exit from the postseason, with Scott Harris seemingly indicating that they would be more aggressive and that owner Chris Ilitch had given them more money to work with.

The Tigers desperately need two things: starting pitching and a righty power bat. However, so far they've made zero noise on either of those fronts. Instead, Harris and Co. have seemingly reverted back to their typical ways — short contracts, low commitments, and not blocking the young players and prospects.

It's not what fans wanted out of the offseason directly following the Tigers' first trip to October in a decade. Still, it's hard to be surprised.

There's still hope, though, that the Tigers could be more active on the trade market as a team with enormous prospect capital. A few good names have already been mentioned, including Garrett Crochet and Nolan Arenado (though both are admittedly stretches of the imagination) along with a more realistic option in Yandy Díaz.

Crochet feels unlikely for Detroit, but the Tigers' need starting pitching, and there are far less sought-after (but still effective options) out there.

ESPN's Kiley McDaniel and David Schoenfield compiled some "trades we'd like to see," and included one for the Tigers that included Mariners righty Luis Castillo.

Tigers connected to Mariners righty starter Luis Castillo in new ESPN article

Castillo is still owed $72.45 million from 2025 through 2027 ($24.15 million a year), and he has a vesting option worth $25 million for 2028. He's the only Mariners starter who is owed big money, as George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller, and Bryan Woo are all either arbitration eligible or still pre-arb.

The Mariners haven't been explicit about wanting to cut costs this offseason, but they are looking to upgrade at some positions, and getting their biggest contract off the payroll would be a good way to go about that.

Castillo's last two seasons haven't been as good as his 2022, when he pitched 150 1/3 innings for the Reds and Mariners and walked away with a 2.99 ERA, but he's been far from bad, and his innings counts have only increased since then.

McDaniel writes that because of Castillo's slight regression and age, the Tigers would probably only have to give up a few prospects outside the top-10 in order to make a deal happen. While the money attached might still be a little too rich for the Tigers' blood, how else do they expect to get quality starters if they're not willing to spend a little more cash than they're used to?