Cubs acquire RHP Yoervis Medina from Seattle for catcher Welington Castillo

SAN DIEGO - The Chicago Cubs today acquired right-handed pitcher Yoervis Medina from the Seattle Mariners for catcher Welington Castillo. Medina will report to Triple-A Iowa.

Medina, 26, has posted a 2.82 ERA (43 ER/137.0 IP) in 141 appearances out of the Mariners bullpen the last three seasons, turning in a 10-9 record with 43 holds and two saves. He has struck out 140 batters in 137.0 innings while limiting opponents to a .216 batting average, including a .228 mark vs. right-handed hitters and a .198 mark vs. lefthanders. Medina has held opponents to a .325 on-base percentage and only a .321 slugging percentage, good for just a .646 opponents OPS.

The 6-foot-3, 245-pound righthander broke into the big leagues with the Mariners in 2013 and went 4-6 with one save and a 2.91 ERA (22 ER/68.0 IP) in 63 relief appearances while ranking second among all American League rookies with 19 holds. Last season, he improved upon those numbers by going 5-3 with 21 holds and a 2.68 ERA (17 ER/57.0 IP) in 66 relief outings while leading the Mariners and ranking 12th in the league in holds. This year, Medina has gone 1-0 with three holds, one save and a 3.00 ERA (4 ER/12.0 IP) in 12 relief outings.

Medina is a native of Puerto Cabello, Venezuela and originally signed with the Mariners as a non-drafted free agent in 2005.

Castillo, 28, departs the Cubs a career .252 hitter (254-for-1,006) with 29 home runs and 110 RBI in 310 games the last six seasons (2010-15). He originally signed with the club as a non-drafted free agent in 2004. Castillo saw action in a career high 113 games in 2013, batting .274 (104-for-380) with eight home runs and 32 RBI, before hitting .237 (90-for-380) with 13 homers and 46 RBI in 110 games last season. Castillo batted .163 (7-for-43) with two homers and five RBI in 24 games with the Cubs this season.