Luis Castillo Traded To The Seattle Mariners

Photo credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Former Cincinnati Reds ace Luis Castillo has been traded to the Seattle Mariners. After an offseason in 2021, Castillo had been the bright spot on a very, very bad Red team. Reds get Noelvi Marte, Levi Stoudt, Edwin Arroyo, Andrew Moore for Castillo.

Why was Luis Castillo changed:

Again, reds are really bad and there’s no point in having a Porsche without gas. The reds are of no use to Castillo. With just one more year of control, the time was right to move on from his star right.

Now, trading Luis Castillo to the Mariners makes sense. Seattle is making a title run this year and Castillo can step in. Castillo is a number two starter with aces. Now, will that get them over the hump to win it all? May be. However, it is an opportunity worth taking.

The summary about Castillo:

Castillo’s three-pitch mix includes a 97 MPH fastball, an 88 MPH changeup, and an 87 MPH slider. This year, Castillo has a 2.86 ERA (Earned Earned Average) and a 3.21 FIP (Fielder Independent Pitching), both better than last year. Castillo’s wxOBA (Weighted On-Base Average) is in the 77th percentile among pitchers.

The commercial profitability of Luis Castillo:

Compared to previous years, Castillo’s pure ERA is the best he has had in his MLB career. He published his second best FIP i fourth best wxOBA. With this resurgence, Castillo increased his value and faces a contender.

In exchange for an ace, you expect a lot of prospects. That’s what the Reds got. Noelvi Marte, Levi Stoudt, Edwin Arroyo and Andrew Moore is a ridiculous trade package for a year and a half of a starting pitcher. Marte and Arroyo alone almost feel too much. The Reds get three of the top five prospects in the Mariners farm. In Marte’s case, he’s a five-tool shortstop who is projected to be in the bigs by the end of 2023.

Personally, this is not a package I would have given up for Castillo. You will only be there for a year and a half before you get paid. Castillo is an ace, but he’s not one I’d sell the entire farm for right now.