Six years ago, when the Cincinnati Reds were in the middle of a rebuild, they traded a middle of the rotation starter for a young prospect in Luis Castillo.
Castillo broke out and developed into a two-time All-Star, leading the Reds rotation for most of his career. Despite his success, the Reds are moving on toward another rebuild.
The Reds traded Castillo to the Seattle Mariners on Friday night for four minor leaguers, including the Mariners’ top two prospects, according to Baseball America’s rankings. Castillo is a free agent at the end of the 2023 season, but the Reds hoped to maximize the return of a Castillo trade by dealing him with a year-and-a-half of team control left.
Castillo said he didn’t want to leave Cincinnati, but he understood the nature of the Reds’ rebuild.
“It’s been a beautiful experience,” Castillo said via interpreter Jorge Merlos. “The personnel, the team, everyone that I’ve been able to make some type of connection with. To have my name in fans’ mouths and have them cheering me on and say things about me, it’s something that I’ll treasure forever. I won’t forget about that.”
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Castillo was the top starting pitcher on the trade market, and the Reds landed a package of prospects to match that. The Reds acquired shortstop…
