Luis Castillo Is the Hottest Arm Available at the MLB Trade Deadline
Luis Castillo has put it all together this season for the Cincinnati Reds. The 29-year-old is off to the best start of his career and is one of the few bright spots for the lowly Reds. It appears Castillo got it together just in time for Cincinnati to trade him sometime in the next few weeks.
Castillo has become the top starter available at the MLB trade deadline and word dropped on Sunday that the Los Angeles Dodgers are interested in acquiring him. The Dodgers won't be the only team engaging the Reds about Castillo.
Sources: #Dodgers and #Reds have had preliminary trade conversations about RHP Luis Castillo. Many clubs are showing interest in Castillo, of course. Long way to go before Aug. 2 trade deadline, but Dodgers are definitely involved. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 11, 2022
Through 12 starts in 2022, Castillo is 3-4 with a 2.92 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP and 74 strikeouts against 23 walks in 71 innings. While Castillo's groundball rate (49.7 percent) is down this season, but his strikeout rate (25.3 percent) is up from 2021. Castillo's velocity has always been stellar and he's averaged 97.7 mph on his four-seam fastball and 97.1 mph on his sinker through two July starts. He's holding his velocity decently far into the season.
Castillo missed all of April due to shoulder soreness but he settled in quickly and has gotten better every month. The righty is under team control through next season before hitting free agency after the 2023 season. That makes him an incredibly attractive trade target.
In addition to the Dodgers, the San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and New York Mets have all shown interest in Castillo. With that many suitors, the price for his services will almost certainly be high.