Luis Castillo is arguably the best starting pitcher available at the 2022 Major League Baseball trade deadline, so it stands to reason many postseason hopefuls, including the Boston Red Sox, will reach out to the Cincinnati Reds, if they haven’t already.
Jim Bowden, a former general manager who now works as an MLB analyst, reported earlier this week that most contending teams have checked in on Castillo.
The list includes (but is not limited to) the Red Sox, New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers, according to Bowden, who added Cincinnati was not close to trading away its ace.
To be clear, the Reds don’t need to trade Castillo. He’s under contract through next season, so Cincinnati could keep him through the Aug. 2 trade deadline in hopes of creating a bidding war this winter.
But the Reds presumably would net a better return by trading him in the coming weeks, as this would ensure the acquiring team has Castillo for two stretch runs — this year and next year — and therefore be more apt to relinquish top-tier prospects.
Castillo is having an excellent season and a playoff contender conceivably could identify him as the missing piece to a World Series puzzle. If multiple teams view him as such, it’ll only increase Cincinnati’s asking price, which already figures to be high.
Ultimately, the Reds are dealing from a position of strength. They’re obvious sellers, but Castillo is one of the few players kicked around in recent trade speculation that could legitimately shift the balance of power this season. He’s a front-line starter. And he’s more than just a rental.
So, does Boston make sense as a potential landing spot for Castillo?
It might depend on what happens between now and Aug. 2, both in terms of performance and on the injury front.
The Red Sox are in the thick of the American League wild card race, despite dropping four straight to the Tampa Bay Rays this week, and theoretically could swing for the fences. But there’s still some question as to whether Boston has a championship ceiling in 2022, making it difficult to justify emptying the farm system for a splashy trade.
After all, the Red Sox have more glaring weaknesses beyond the rotation — like the bullpen and first base, for instance — now that Chris Sale and Nathan Eovaldi are back, Rich Hill and Michael Wacha are on the mend and James Paxton remains a wild card while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
All told, the Red Sox definitely should keep tabs on the Castillo situation. And they probably will. Just like every other team with postseason aspirations.
As for whether a trade is realistic? Boston feels like a long shot, all things considered. But you never know.
