Seattle Mariners, Luis Castillo agree to five-year, $108 million extension

Right-hander Luis Castillo and the Seattle Mariners are in agreement on a five-year contract extension that will keep the prized trade-deadline acquisition part of the ascendant team's core for the foreseeable future, the team announced on Saturday. The deal is worth $108 million over the duration of the deal, sources told ESPN.

The contract, which includes a vesting option that could take its total value to $133 million, buys out four years of free agency for the 29-year-old, who has been dominant in eight starts since joining Seattle before the Aug. 2 trade deadline. In 54 innings, Castillo has struck out 64, walked 13 and allowed just five home runs with a 2.83 ERA — even better than the 2.86 ERA he posted in 14 starts with the Cincinnati Reds and a key element in helping push the Mariners to the precipice of their first playoff berth in 21 years.

A two-time All-Star, Castillo will be paid on an annual basis among the upper echelon of pitchers. The deal includes a $7 million signing bonus, a $10 million salary for next season — when he was due to make around $12 million in his final arbitration season before reaching free agency — and annual salaries of $22.75 million from 2024 to '27.

The contract also includes a variation on the sixth-year option. If Castillo undergoes elbow surgery, including Tommy John surgery, to address an issue with the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow in the 2025, 2026 or 2027 seasons that causes him to miss at least 130 days, the Mariners receive a club option for $5 million in 2028.

His 2028 option for $25 million vests if he throws at least 180 innings in 2027, and Castillo will receive a full no-trade clause for the 2023 to '25 seasons with a $1 million assignment bonus if he's