A realistic NY Mets trade option without the Garrett Crochet price tag

The New York Mets are still in the hunt for starting pitching help. They tried to acquire a former Chicago White Sox ace Garrett Crochet but were outmatched by the Boston Red Sox. The deal proved to be too much of an asking price for Cohen and the Mets as Boston sent four of their top 50 prospects the 25th-best overall prospect catcher Kyle Teel. While they were not able to make a deal work for Crochet, there are other options out there that can help sure up the rotation. One that stands out comes from the American League West and is more cost-effective.

Luis Castillo is a more affordable Mets trade target than Garrett Crochet

Luis Castillo of the Seattle Mariners has been the subject of trade rumors recently. According to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, the Mariners have “expressed willingness” to listen to offers on the veteran right-hander. The Mariners appear to be focusing more on offense and the Mets certainly have some options for Seattle if a Castillo trade is something they want to pursue. This is an opportunity for New York to get a guy that would become your ace of the staff.

Castillo is coming off of a pretty decent 2024. He posted an 11-12 record along with a 3.65 ERA in 175 1/3 innings over 30 starts. Those numbers can be improved upon if traded to the Mets. In terms of salary, it's pretty reasonable for the pitcher he is. The 31-year-old is owed $72 million over the next three seasons. This includes a $25 million vesting option in 2028.

While the Mariners will want a good return for Castillo, it shouldn't cost the Mets as much as Crochet did for the Red Sox. Most likely any deal for him would start with Brett Baty. After that, it all depends on who they feel in New York's system can help solve Seattle's hitting woes. The Mets should seriously consider calling Mariners' general manager Justin Hollander and discuss what the true asking price is.

There will be some questions concerning his age and whether or not he's now on the decline. If the Mets feel that they can get him back to where he was between 2019 to 2023, then trading for Castillo makes sense. He will most likely cost less than that of Walker Buehler or Nick Pivetta and coming to Queens could energize Castillo to where he has a big bounce-back campaign. New York needs to add help to their starting pitching depth and bringing in Castillo would give them just that.