Reds rumors: Cincinnati asked Yankees for Gleyber Torres in trade talks

While Cincinnati Reds General Manager Nick Krall has sense refuted the Reds rumors surrounding Luis Castillo, it appears as though the real reason that no deal was struck is because the New York Yankees were unwilling to surrender shortstop Gleyber Torres. MLB insider Jon Heyman gives us the latest details surrounding these trade rumblings.

According to Heyman, the Yankees were interested in acquiring Castillo from the Reds. There’s no real surprise there, as La Piedra is one of the top young pitchers in the league and has three-year of team control remaining.

The latest Reds rumors suggest Cincinnati wanted Gleyber Torres.

What may come as a surprise, to Yankees fans at least, was Cincinnati’s insistence to include shortstop Gleyber Torres and more in return for Castillo. Heyman says that New York said no and Cincinnati is now content to head into 2021 with Luis Castillo as part of the starting rotation.

We’d seen some Yankees’ fans and pundits in recent days claiming that New York and Cincinnati were working out a deal that would send Castillo to the Bronx and in return the Redlegs would receive Miguel Andújar, Clint Frazier, and a couple prospects.

That was wishful thinking on behalf of the New York faithful and never really made sense if you’re a Reds fan. Sure, Cincinnati could snag a few young players like Deivi Garcia or Clarke Schmidt, but why would the Reds want Andújar or Frazier?

The Cincinnati Reds have an All-Star third baseman in Eugenio Suárez with Mike Moustakas backing him up. The team is also looking for a way to get top infield prospect Jonathan India onto the field, so acquiring Andújar doesn’t seem like a good move.

Furthermore, while Frazier has long since been of intrigue to Reds Country, the truth is that Cincinnati has too many outfielders as it is. David Bell is going to struggle to find an everyday spot for the quartet or Shogo Akiyama, Jesse Winker, Nick Senzel, and Nick Castellanos as it is.

Can we finally put these latest Reds rumors to bed? It now appears that the Cincinnati Reds are quite comfortable with Luis Castillo as the team’s ace. Now, it’s time to find a shortstop; just don’t ask the Yankees about Gleyber Torres.