Luis Castillo trade grades: Mariners deal for another ace from Reds

The Seattle Mariners acquired one of the best pitchers on the market in a trade for Cincinnati Reds ace Luis Castillo.

Castillo has been a rumored trade target since the offseason, and it’s easy to understand why. The right-hander is a two-time All-Star at just 29 years old, and is the best pitcher in the Reds rotation.

Cincinnati telegraphed its status as a seller since last offseason, making Castillo available even at the winter meetings. This year, he has a 4-4 record, with a 2.86 ERA to boot. Those numbers don’t begin to tell the story of a pitcher destined for playoff greatness if given the chance.

The Seattle Mariners have provided that opportunity.

MLB trade grades: Who won Mariners-Reds Luis Castillo trade?

Here is the complete trade, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic:

As Rosenthal points out in his tweet below, that is three of the Mariners’ best five prospects. Marte and Arroyo are two prospects in the top 100 per MLB Pipeline, at No. 18 and No. 93 respectively.

Here is some quick info on both, considering they are the prized prospects in this trade package:

Marte, per MLB Pipeline, compares quite well at the plate to Julio Rodriguez. Except…he plays shortstop:

"“There might not be anyone who surpasses Marte in the system in terms of raw power, as the young shortstop can go toe-to-toe with Rodríguez in batting practice displays. It shows up in games – he hit 17 homers in 2021 – especially to the pull side, and he’s naturally good at impacting the ball out front. While he has shown a willingness to draw walks, he can get out of his approach at times, and like many young hitters, he will need to continue to find consistency between at-bats and games. He wore down and is learning how to pace himself for a long professional season.”"

Arroyo, meanwhile. is a little more unknown. But he’s made enough of an impression to sneak his way into the top 100 per MLB Pipeline. While he struggled in his first pro-ball experience, a bounce back should be expected given his overall talent:

"“Arroyo certainly had a wake-up call with his first taste of pro ball in the Arizona Complex League in 2021, hitting .211/.337/.324 (.661 OPS) with a 30.2% strikeout rate in 21 games, underscoring that he has work to do offensively. But if the bat comes along, he has the chance to eventually be an everyday shortstop in the big leagues.”"

Mariners trade grade: B

Reds trade grade: B+

All things considered, the Reds won this trade (for now) given the prospects they received. Two top-100 MLB Pipeline prospects for Castillo, as well as several other players which could impact the major-league roster and speed up their rebuild in the short-term, is a solid return for a player they’ve been shopping for months.