MLB rumors: 5 favorites to trade for Reds pitcher Luis Castillo

1) MLB rumors: San Francisco Giants should be favorites to trade for Luis Castillo

There may not be a team as regularly successful as the San Francisco Giants without the star power as some other top contenders. A quick look at their lineup and we find plenty of guys you would never suspect would start for a club coming off of a 100-win campaign. Even the starting rotation, which now has Carlos Rodon in it, raises questions.

The Giants are careful spenders and frequent competitors. They would trade for Castillo because it gives their 2022 roster a little bit more legitimacy. Through their up-and-down start to the season, they have already had to deal with losing Anthony DeSclafani for a long period of time. They’ve given Jakob Junis a chance in the rotation. Regardless of how he pitches, the Giants are going to need more.

Along with Rodon, there’s Logan Webb, Alex Wood, and Alex Cobb. It’s a curious staff of guys who  had a lot of success last year. This year, reality seems to be setting in. They aren’t quite as good, as their abilities seem to have fallen back down closer to their personal career averages.

The Giants play in possibly the toughest division in baseball. With the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres separating as the lone two frontrunners, the Giants may end up having to settle for a wild card. To even have a shot at that, they’ll need to swing big on the starting pitching trade market and see what it’ll cost to pick up Castillo from the Reds.