Mariners Moose Tracks, 12/13/24: Luis Castillo, Pete Alonso, and Juan Soto

Kicking off your Friday with some news from around baseball.

Good morning everyone and happy Friday! Let’s get you caught up on the latest.

In Mariners news...

• Daniel Kramer explains why trading Luis Castillo might (and might not) make sense for the Mariners.
• Amanda Lane Cumming rewound the clock to tell the story of the 1994 Mariners and their struggles playing at the Kingdome with a broken roof, and the ways in which that situation is similar to what the Rays are facing now.
• In Everett, the AquaSox are facing stadium woes of their own as they try to secure plans for a new ballpark.

Around the league...

• Orioles GM Mark Elias is unwilling to spend money on the team’s payroll even though his ownership group is providing him with the opportunity to do so, reports Ben Palmer at Pitcher List.
• Buster Olney and Jeff Passan at ESPN told the behind-the-scenes story of how Juan Soto became a Met. ($)
• Mets owner Steve Cohen insists that the team is still in discussions with Pete Alonso, even after signing Soto.
• Russell A. Carleton at Baseball Prospectus has a fascinating piece about the point at which fly balls become productive for hitters. ($)
• Carlos Collazo at Baseball America presents the website’s first post-lottery mock draft. ($)
• Yeah, the Mets are definitely spoiling him more than the Yankees did.