The Mariners announced they’ve added righty Blas Castano to their 40-man roster. As a player with parts of seven seasons in the minors, he would’ve otherwise qualified for minor league free agency.
Castano gets a 40-man spot for the first time in his career at age 26. The Dominican Republic native spent six seasons in the Yankee system before joining the Mariners on a minor league deal in August ’23. Seattle can keep him in the minors for the foreseeable future, as Castano has a full slate of option years. They’d need to run him through waivers to take him back off the 40-man roster.
Seattle was impressed enough with Castano’s 2024 season to not allow him to get away. The 5’10” righty split the year between the top two minor league levels. He threw 125 1/3 innings of 4.38 ERA ball, striking out 20% of opponents against an 8% walk rate. They’re not dominant numbers, though he fared better in Double-A before moving up to the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
OK I now have a new favorite name in MLB.
His cheering section at T-Mobile could be called… wait for it… The Blah Blah Blas.