Cubs trade catcher Welington Castillo to Mariners

The Seattle Mariners sacrificed bullpen depth for help behind the plate Monday by acquiring catcher Welington Castillo from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for reliever Yoervis Medina.

Castillo, 28, handled the bulk of Chicago's catching duties last year, but had been relegated to a third-string backup role under new manager Joe Maddon following the offseason acquisitions of catchers Miguel Montero and David Ross.

The Dominican native made just eight starts behind the plate, hitting .163/.234/.349 across 47 plate appearances, after posting a career-high 13 homers and 46 RBIs in 2014. He's under contract for $2.1 million this year, and is arbitration-eligible for the next two seasons.

The Mariners have been in the market for an upgrade behind the plate to supplement the power-hitting Mike Zunino, who possesses strong defensive skills but remains among the league leaders in strikeouts. Zunino's five homers this season rank fifth among qualified catchers, while his 37.9 percent strikeout rate is the third-highest in the majors.

Medina, meanwhile, provides depth for the Cubs struggling bullpen, which has walked 28 batters in 50 2/3 innings with an inflated 5.51 ERA in May. The 26-year-old right-hander pitched to a 2.82 ERA with 9.2 strikeouts per nine during three seasons in Seattle, but has battled control issues this year. He'll report to Triple-A Iowa, where he's expected to work on his mechanics.