Dodgers: 3 trade targets after missing out on Luis Castillo
By Drew Koch
The Los Angeles Dodgers missed out on the opportunity to acquire Luis Castillo from the Cincinnati Reds. Now where do they turn?
Well, it finally happened. The Cincinnati Reds opened the flood gates of the trade season by sending starting pitcher Luis Castillo to the Seattle Mariners in exchange of four prospects. By all accounts, on the surface, the deal looks like a win for both organizations.
But with Seattle as the clear winner as far as contending teams are concerned, several other ball clubs will be looking to find another starting pitcher with Castillo off the board. One of those teams is the Los Angeles Dodgers.
LA was though to be in the mix for Castillo’s services, along with about a dozen other teams, but in the end, it was the Mariners that walked away victorious. So where to the Dodgers turn now?
1. The Dodgers should target Reds RHP Tyler Mahle.
Having now traded Luis Castillo and Tyler Naquin, the Cincinnati Reds are obvious sellers at this year’s trade deadline. With that in mind, the Los Angeles Dodgers should target Castillo’s now-former teammate Tyler Mahle.
Mahle has a solid, yet unspectacular track record. While not viewed as favorably as Castillo, Mahle isn’t that far behind. Mahle has yet to make an All-Star appearance, but the Reds 2022 Opening Day starter has put his early season struggles behind him and excelled in recent weeks.
After being placed on the IL shortly before the All-Star Game, Mahle returned with a fine performance against the St. Louis Cardinals last week to prove that he was fully healthy. Mahle struck out five batters in that game.
Tyler Mahle isn’t going to win a Cy Young Award, but he’d be a solid No. 3 pitcher in the Dodgers rotation if Walker Buehler remains out due to injury. Mahle has a 3.03 ERA in his last six starts and 43 punch outs over 38.2 innings.