Yankees Showing Interest in Luis Castillo Ahead of Trade Deadline
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You can never have enough pitching.
That's why even with a stellar starting rotation—with the best starter's ERA in the American League entering play on Monday (3.00)—the Yankees are reportedly interested in one of the best starting pitchers available on the trade market.
New York has "talked" to the Cincinnati Reds about right-hander Luis Castillo, per Peter Gammons of The Athletic.
Here's a snippet of Gammons' report from this weekend before we break this down:
On June 20, the Yankees were on a pace for 122 wins. Four of the teams on pace to lose 100 games were scouting the Yankee organization. Why not? They know that while Yankees starting pitchers led the American League in earned run average and WAR, Brian Cashman is going to make a run at Luis Castillo and Frankie Montas.
Teams like the Reds, Athletics, Rangers and Cubs know Cashman will give up actual prospects to get what he wants, like Ezequiel Durán to Texas in the Joey Gallo deal or Roansy Contreras to Pittsburgh in the Jameson Taillon trade. The Yankees have talked Castillo, as will a number of contenders from the Dodgers to the Blue Jays, but the Yankees’ track record of scouting and developing pitchers — like Clay Holmes and Michael King — has become equal to that of the Dodgers and Rays.
New York has been linked to Castillo in the past, a promising starter that's flashed some tremendous potential across his six-year career with the Reds. Castillo, 29, has one more year of team control before he's set to enter free agency after the 2023 season. He was an All-Star in 2019 and has posted a 3.71 ERA over his first nine starts this year.
As Gammons alluded to, plenty of teams will be monitoring Castillo's availability leading up to the trade deadline on August 2. That in mind—and considering Castillo's solid track record—it'll take a haul to pry him away from Cincinnati.
Sounds like the Reds are already eyeing one of New York's pitching prospects, though. Cincinnati has been looking at righty Will Warren (the No. 27 prospect in the Yankees' farm system, per MLB.com), says Gammons. Luis Gil, who underwent Tommy John surgery but has shined in his first taste of big-league action, is also on the Reds' radar.
New York would be silly not to show interest in pitchers like Castillo. Gammons added that New York is still in on Oakland's Frankie Montas, a pitcher they targeted back in March. Frankly, every high-caliber reliever that will be available should be monitored by the organization before the deadline as well.
All that said, do the Yankees really need another starting pitcher?
From top to bottom, this team's rotation has been magnificent and durable all year long. They'll need to keep a close eye on Nestor Cortes and Luis Severino as they continue to throw more innings, though. Cortes is on pace to blow past his career high while Severino is in his first full season since Tommy John surgery.
That in mind, it wouldn't hurt to have a sixth starter, a security blanket for when adversity and injuries eventually impact the starting staff. There are also internal options like Clarke Schmidt, JP Sears or Domingo Germán, when he returns from the injured list.
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