Local insider's latest trade rumor confirms who Cubs are targeting from Mariners

With the MLB Winter Meetings starting next week, it seems that the Chicago Cubs are pushing all their chips toward the center of the table with their efforts to trade for an established starting pitcher.

The trade rumor of the week for the Cubs saw the team at the center of trade discussions with the Chicago White Sox for starting pitcher Garrett Crochet. Trading for Crochet would be the aggressive swing that Cubs fans have been begging Jed Hoyer to make since he took over as the team's President of Baseball Operations.

If I were to make a guess as the Cubs enter the Winter Meetings, by this time next week, they will have traded for a high-end starting pitcher.

While Crochet would be a popular guess given the recent rumors, David Kaplan of ESPN 1000 floated out a new name. In Thursday's installment of REKAP Rush Hour, Kaplan mentions that Luis Castillo is the starting pitcher who has the Cubs' interest from the Mariners.

In addition to the Crochet rumor, reports emerged this week that the Cubs have had trade talks with the Mariners this offseason. Those talks were believed to have included Nico Hoerner.

Kaplan's reporting should provide more confirmation of the incentive behind the recent trade rumors involving Hoerner and Cody Bellinger. The Cubs aren't seeking prospects in these deals, they are seeking talent that can help them win the National League Central next season.

The Chicago Cubs will be working the phones at the Winter Meetings.

Castillo won't cost as much as Crochet but is signed through 2027. Given the plethora of talented arms the Mariners have already in their rotation and in their farm system, there could be a scenario where they entertain the idea of moving Castillo. Contractually, it would seem that Castillo would be the possible return in a trade involving Bellinger going to Seattle.

Castillo may not be the ace that Crochet is but he has pitched at least 150 innings in each season of his career besides 2017 and 2020. One thing that the Cubs may want to research is why his velocity dipped in 2024 along with his strikeouts-per-nine being the second-lowest mark of his career. An outside looking in could see those numbers fear of what might be down the road for Castillo.

Nevertheless, Castillo is another name that fans will need to keep tabs on at the Winter Meetings next week.