With the Major League Baseball trade deadline less than a month away, Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Luis Castillo has emerged as one of the top players expected to be on the trading block.
While the Reds’ ace will likely have many clubs pursuing him in the next few weeks, the Los Angeles Dodgers have already emerged as a potential trade partner for Cincinnati, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, who reports that the two teams “have had preliminary trade conversations.”
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
The Dodgers are currently in first place in the NL West and could be looking to add a starting pitcher such as Castillo as they make their championship push in the back half of the season and in the playoffs.
Now in his sixth season in the big leagues, Castillo has played his entire MLB career with the Reds. The right-hander was named to the All-Star Game in 2019 and has a career ERA of 3.64 and WHIP of 1.209.
With the Reds currently in last place in the NL Central, the team is currently rebuilding its roster and Castillo is widely expected to be on the trading block as a result. So far this season, he has a career-best 2.92 ERA and a WHIP of 1.099, which is the best since his rookie season back in 2017, when he pitched just 15 games.
