Welington Castillo was surprised when the Chicago Cubs traded him to the Seattle Mariners earlier this week.

"I was shocked," he said. "I wasn't expecting it. Now I'm here. It was a long day [Tuesday]. Now I'm here and ready to go. I'm really excited to be here."

Castillo spent his entire career with the Cubs, signing as a non-draft free agent in 2004.

"It's a little weird, but it feels good to be here," he said. "It's good ... and the right place to be to win games, and that's all that matters."

Castillo is expected to get his first start for the Mariners on Thursday afternoon.