Cincinnati Reds ace Luis Castillo is one of the top players who could be moved before the Aug. 2 MLB trade deadline.
The Reds have the third-worst record in baseball at 34-56 and they are still in the early stages of their rebuild. Castillo is 29 years old and has one more year of arbitration before he can become an unrestricted free agent.
It makes sense for the Reds to sell high and get the largest return possible for him.
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Castillo didn't make his season debut until May, but he's been fantastic for Cincinnati, evidenced by his 2.77 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 82 strikeouts in 78 innings over 13 starts. He's posted a 1.00 ERA over this last four starts and will represent the Reds on the National League's All-Star roster for the second time next week.
He put on a show at Yankee Stadium earlier this week by allowing just two hits and one earned run over seven innings against the New York Yankees.
According to former general manager Jim Bowden, the Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox are among the teams that have "checked in" on Castillo with a few weeks to go before the trade deadline arrives.
Castillo has the ability to significantly upgrade any contender's rotation. He's that talented.
The Red Sox rotation could certainly use a boost. Boston enters Saturday ranked eighth in the AL in starters' ERA, seventh in starters' batting average against and ninth in innings pitched. The Red Sox also need help in the bullpen, and if Chris Sale and Nathan Eovaldi can stay healthy over the second half of the season, acquiring a reliever probably makes the most sense for Boston.
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But the idea of Castillo pitching at Fenway Park is an exciting one for Red Sox fans to think about.