The 2022 trade deadline is quickly approaching. Teams have until August 2 to make deals for some of the MLB’s best that have found themselves on the trade block. One of these names is Luis Castillo. Castillo has been the hottest name on the trade block for the majority of the 2022 season. Here are 3 potential trade destinations for Luis Castillo
Introducing Luis Castillo
Luis Castillo has been an anchor in the Cincinnati Reds rotation for the last few years. He features an electric fastball, touching 100 MPH at times. To complement his fastball, he displays one of the best changeups in all of baseball. This season, he is allowing a sub-.200 batting average on his changeup, his four-seam fastball, and his slider. He is a 2022 All-Star and pitched a dominant 14-pitch, two strikeout inning in this season’s All-Star Game. Now, beyond just what he can do with a baseball, what else is so enticing about the Reds ace?
First of all, he has 1.5 more years of team control. This means that whichever team makes a deal for him, if one is made, will get him for the rest of this year and have control of him for next season too. Typically, most trade deadline pieces are half-year rental players, that are used to make a one-season playoff push. This is not the case with Castillo. Another selling point is his age. He is 29 years old and still has a few more years of his prime before he will see any kind of decline.
New York Yankees
Luis Castillo, Passes his Audition with Flying Colors. pic.twitter.com/C8lMWa2gon
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 15, 2022
The Yankees are the favorite to land Castillo. They have the farm system deep enough to make a move to the Reds’ liking and they could use another ace-caliber pitcher to pair alongside Gerrit Cole. Castillo would be the piece that the Yankees have seemed to be missing the last few years. They are the MLB’s best team as of now and adding Castillo would further cement that statement into fact.
But the Yankees are being stubborn with their assets. The Reds have two prime targets within the Yankees organization: Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza. The Yankees are reported to be firm that they will not move either one of these players. This could shut down the trade talks already, as the Reds are in full control of this situation.
Do the Yankees part with one of their two best prospects in order to increase their playoff chances?
Los Angeles Dodgers
Luis Castillo, Gorgeous 99mph Back Door Two Seamer. 😍
20″ of arm side run. 99.5mph. Beautiful. pic.twitter.com/7aW46RXNWG
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 18, 2021
The Dodgers are another top team that could use an additional anchor at the top of their rotation. Who couldn’t use an All-Star starting pitcher to make their playoff push?
The Dodgers have already had preliminary trade talks with the Reds about Castillo. But what kind of prospects could the Reds expect in return? First, the names Diego Cartaya and Bobby Miller catch the eye, as they are the Dodgers’ top two prospects. Cartaya would allow for the Reds to move Tyler Stephenson to first base after Joey Votto retires. Bobby Miller would give them an MLB-ready pitcher in return, as well as a few more prospects that are further down the Dodgers rankings.
This type of deal doesn’t seem too far out of reality.
Minnesota Twins
Not even Picasso could paint gas. #Reds Luis Castillo? He can. 🎨 ⛽️
— Nati Sports (@Nati_Sports) July 20, 2022
Luis Castillo would be the ace for the Minnesota Twins. He would give them the guy that they can give the ball to in game 1 of a playoff series. This would skyrocket the Twins’ value as a team for the second half of the season. It is hard to win a playoff series without a legitimate ace, especially in the stacked American League.
What would a deal look like?
For the Twins to compete with the Yankees or Dodgers, they would have to be willing to part with a lot. A lot meaning multiple top 10 prospects, two or three at the very least. The Twins’ farm system isn’t as deep or developed as their competition in this race, making it an uphill battle for them. A package around a mixture of Spencer Steer, Matt Wallner, Simeon Woods Richardson and Jordan Balazovic would definitely catch the Reds’ interest.
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