Mariners Find A New Closer, Acquire Diego Castillo From Rays
The Mariners found their replacement for Kendall Graveman.
The Mariners continued their busy deadline week by acquiring closer Diego Castillo from the Rays in exchange for reliever JT Chargois and minor league third baseman Austin Shenton on Thursday afternoon.
The move comes two days after the Mariners traded Graveman to the division-rival Astros in a move that drew wide condemnation from Seattle’s players.
Graveman was 4-0, 0.82 with 10 saves in 12 chances for Seattle. Castillo was 2-4, 2.72 with 14 saves in 16 chances for the Rays.
RAYS ACQUIRE
JT Chargois, RHP
Age: 30
Chargois struggled in previous big league stints with the Twins and Dodgers but found his footing in Seattle this year. He posted a 3.00 ERA with 29 strikeouts and six walks in 30 innings, primarily pitching in the sixth and seventh inning. Chargois’s success this season coincided with increased usage of his mid-80s slider. Already his primary pitch, he upped its usage to 69% this season and has limited batters to a .200 average against it. Chargois’ mid-90s fastball is a secondary offering behind his slider and has never been a particularly effective pitch. Chargois’ sinker-slider mix helps him keep the ball on the ground. If he can keep up the success he had in Seattle, he gives the Rays another solid relief option in the middle innings.
Austin Shenton, 3B
Age: 23
A fifth-round pick out of Florida International in 2019, Shenton ranked among the minor league leaders in OPS this season and was the Mariners No. 12 prospect in their Midseason Update. He hit .300/.414/.566 with 12 home runs and 41 RBIs in 67 games and was recently promoted to Double-A. Shenton has all the tools to hit with above-average bat speed, impressive contact skills and the ability to drive the ball the other way from the left side. He is a well below-average defender at third base and faces questions about his future position, but there is a lot of confidence he will hit enough to have at least a semi-regular role and possibly even be a regular.
MARINERS ACQUIRE
Diego Castillo, RHP
Age: 27
The hard-throwing Castillo has been a steady presence at the back of the bullpen since he debuted in 2018, posting a 2.99 ERA in 167 career appearances and averaging 10.7 K/9. He’s a big man who throws hard with a heavy sinker that sits 95-96 mph and has touched 101 mph in the past. He’s progressively thrown his hard 87-89 mph slider more and more every year and has thrown it more than 70% of the time this season with excellent results. Castillo will be arbitration-eligible for the first time after this season. He won’t be a free agent until after the 2024 season.
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