The New York Yankees are undeniably making serious noise this season. But beyond the public eye, their rotation is subtly slipping into dangerous territory. Their key pieces, such as Gerrit Cole, Clarke Schmidt, and Luis Gil, are sidelined. And although the cracks in their rotation might not be visible yet, sooner or later, when their offense cools down, the cracks will be evident. There’s a name that has been bouncing around Yankees rumors for months now and he can reportedly be their rescue.

32-year-old Luis Castillo, the starting pitcher of the Seattle Mariners, has around $72 million left on his contract plus a vesting option in 2028. Right now, he’s under the spotlight after being listed as one of the “best trade chips” of the season as per Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller. He pointed out that although the ship has sailed for winter trade, Castillo can still be on the trade block this summer.

Miller wrote, “Now, whether they’ll be able to find a trade partner who A) needs a starting pitcher, B) can afford what’s left on Castillo’s contract, and C) has a surplus bat that would actually help the Mariners is a different story.” He made a fair point. With Castillo’s remaining $72 million contract through 2027, the team that would want to sign him would require financial flexibility and a strong cause to make efforts for a frontline starter.

If Castillo accepts a deal, the Yankees seem like an ideal landing spot. New York is likely to offer either Spencer Jones or Everson Pereira to Seattle to boost the Mariners’ offense. Plus, the Yankees would take on the remainder of Castillo’s contract, making it a win-win for both sides.

We won’t have to wait too long to see how things shape up for the Mariners and the Yankees. Just a heads-up—don’t be shocked if you see Castillo in a Yankees uniform.

Mariners pitchers Luis M. Castillo and Luis F. Castillo have more in common than just a name

Two pitchers. Same name. Same clubhouse. But did you know that until earlier this spring, Mariners pitcher Luis Miguel Castillo never met Mariners pitcher Luis Felipe Castillo?

Interestingly, even before their first encounter, their names were already mixed up. When Luis F. Castillo pitched for the Dominican Republic, fans would get confused between both of them on Instagram and often tag Luis M. Castillo on congratulating comments instead of Luis F.

The confusion intensified when Luis F. Castillo made his starting debut in MLB for the Mariners. To make things clearer, Luis F. Castillo picked himself a nickname, “the pebble.” Ironically, these two have much more in common than just the identical names.

Luis M. Castillo revealed, “We’ve had a lot of conversations, actually.” He added, “I saw him pitch and his arm angle is very similar to mine, and the way the ball moves, it’s kind of identical to mine.” Don’t worry if you got déjà vu knowing this; we all did. The last time something like this happened was when Bobby J. and Bobby M. Jones started consecutive matchups for the New York Mets in the year 2000.

There’s no shadow of doubt that both “the rock” and “the pebble” have pitching magic in their hands. It’s fair to say that the Seattle Mariners have ended up with baseball’s most entertaining story.