Cincinnati Reds: Luis Castillo estimated to make $5.8-million in 2021

Reds pitcher Luis Castillo will get a hefty raise in 2021.

While it’s not an exact science, the good folks over at MLB Trade Rumors have put out their arbitration projections for the 2021 season. After outrighting Matt Davidson, Travis Jankowski, Jesse Biddle and Matt Bowman, the Cincinnati Reds have nine players eligible for arbitration. The biggest name among them is starting pitcher Luis Castillo, who is projected to make $5.8M in 2021.

Now, let’s take a moment before we analyze Castillo’s projected salary to say that MLB Trade Rumors has put out three different figures this year because of the uncertainty surrounding how the 60-game season will affect the arbitration process.

The $5.8M figure presented takes Castillo’s 2020 numbers and extrapolates all counting stats to would-be 162-game totals. That, in my opinion is the same route the Player’s Association will take in an effort to get their players the most money possible.

MLB Trade Rumors provided two other methods for calculating their projections as well. One takes into account actual statistics from the 60-game season, while the other finds the raise they’d get in a 162 game season, then gives them 37% of that raise. Either one of these methods nets Luis Castillo an estimated $3M for next season.

No matter the exact figure, which quite possibly could be somewhere in between the $5.8M and $3M estimates, Luis Castillo is going to get a nice increase in his annual salary. Castillo’s previous three seasons netted him less than $600K per season and with the alterations to salary this past season, Castillo took home somewhere in the neighborhood of $200K.

Of all the Cincinnati Reds players entering arbitration this winter, which include the likes of Jesse Winker, Amir Garrett and Michael Lorenzen, Castillo is far and away the most likely to secure a multi-year offer from the team. In fact, I really hope the Reds go that route. While Castillo is entering his first-year of arbitration, that number is only going to go higher in the year’s to come.

Luis Castillo is the best young pitcher in the Reds organization. He’s under team control through the 2023 season. Sonny Gray, Cincinnati’s other top-level starter is under contract thorough 2022, but has an option for the 2023 season as well. Tyler Mahle will be entering his first year of arbitration eligibility as well.