The Yankees and the Reds apparently talked shop about Luis Castillo, but neither side was willing to budge regarding their respective sticking points.
Castillo arguably was the best arm available within a pretty thin starting pitching market leading up to the Major League Baseball trade deadline. Cincinnati ended up dealing Castillo to the Seattle Mariners, a team that could use a boost to strengthen its chances of earning a postseason berth.
Not long after the Reds shipped the two-time All-Star out to the Pacific Northwest, the New York Post’s Joel Sherman shed light on why Castillo ultimately didn’t land in the Bronx.
“The Yankees told the Reds from the outset of talks on Castillo that they would not include Anthony Volpe,” Sherman tweeted Friday. “A deal built around Oswald Peraza was not going to match in Cincy’s view what it ultimately received from the Mariners.”
Volpe, a shortstop drafted by the Yankees in the first round of the 2019 MLB Draft, is listed as New York’s top prospect. The Bronx Bombers currently don’t have a true franchise shortstop in house, so it makes sense why they want to hang onto Volpe. They also could use him as the centerpiece of a blockbuster trade for Juan Soto if the organization feels inclined to make a big run at the Washington Nationals phenom.
As for New York’s pitching pursuits, the club reportedly has turned its focus to the Oakland Athletics’ Frankie Montas with Castillo now off the board.
