Among the players who are slated to be regulars in the rumor mill ahead of this season’s MLB trade deadline is Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Luis Castillo. He reportedly already has a trio of teams interested in soon acquiring him.
According to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, the New York Mets, San Diego Padres and Minnesota Twins are among the teams “in on” Castillo. From the Reds’ standpoint, they at the least seek a “top” prospect in return for the one-time All-Star.
Heyman speculated that such a talent could be in the caliber of New York Yankees prospects Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza. MLB.com ranks the two shortstops in the top 40 of their current top-100 prospect rankings.
The Mets, Padres, and Twins have been regularly linked with a possible move for Castillo. For one, Heyman recently noted that the Mets hold an “early interest” in pushing to acquire the veteran right-handed pitcher. This all comes as the Mets have dealt with injury after injury within their starting rotation as of late, including both Jacob deGrom (stress reaction in right scapula) and Tylor Megill (strained shoulder).
The Twins may have a need for a keen starting pitcher come Aug. 2, as they currently have multiple hurlers on the injured list. On the other hand, the Padres are not in dire need of another All-Star-caliber pitcher, especially as their starting rotation boasts a 3.54 ERA, which ranks at second in the National League behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (2.64).
Castillo currently holds a 3.09 ERA to go along with a 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings mark so far in the 2022 season. And in the big picture, he certainly has been aware of the rumors linking him with a move away from Cincinnati.
“I see the rumors every day, the teams that are interested in me,” Castillo said earlier this month.
“I put that out of my mind. I’m still trying to go out there and give it my best. I have all of the confidence in God that He’s going to give me the opportunity to play wherever we need to be. If it’s here, it’s here.”
Overall, Castillo is under team control for a mere one more year, as he is set to be arbitration-eligible for the 2023 campaign.
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