New Luis Castillo trade rumors emerge as ex-Reds ace prepares to face his former team

The Cincinnati Reds will welcome the Seattle Mariners to Great American Ball Park on Tuesday night, and former ace Luis Castillo will be on the mound for the opposition. While the Reds and Mariners have met a handful of times since Castillo was traded back in 2022, this will be the first time he'll be pitching against his old club.

Castillo was a two-time All-Star during his tenure with the Reds, but in 2022, with Cincinnati squarely in the middle of a full-on rebuild, the team made the difficult choice to make the right-hander available at the July trade deadline. The Reds settled on a rather bountiful deal that brought back Noelvi Marte, Edwin Arroyo, Levi Stoudt, and Andrew Moore.

The jury is still out on who actually won that trade. Castillo has gone 30-24 with a 3.38 ERA while making 77 starts for the Mariners since 2022. For the Reds, Marte has shown flashes, but remains a work-in-progress, while Arroyo and Moore have yet to make it to the big leagues. Stoudt is no longer with the Reds organization.

New Luis Castillo trade rumors emerge nearly three years after Reds-Mariners swap

Surprisingly, despite his success, Castillo could be on the move once again. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, a club recently inquired as to whether or not Castillo was on the trade block and reportedly offered a young infielder in exchange for the Seattle right-hander. The Mariners rebuffed the offer, claiming that Castillo is off-limits. But given Seattle's need for offense, as the season moves along, it'll become harder and harder for the Mariners to turn away would-be suitors.

Seattle's starting rotation is one of the best in the major leagues — yes, even on par with the Reds' group of starters. Castillo, Bryan Woo, and Logan Gilbert all have a sub-3.00 ERA to begin the season, and one of their top starters, George Kirby, is currently on the IL.

The pitching staffs for both the Reds and Mariners are among the top-10 in ERA this season, so fans who come out to the ballpark for the upcoming three-game series may not see a lot of runs scored. Following Castillo will be Bryce Miller, and Woo. They'll be opposed by Nick Lodolo, Nick Martinez, and Brady Singer.

Both the Reds and Mariners have identical 8-8 records, so one of these two teams will leave GABP on Thursday with a record below .500. Reds fans may have loved Castillo during his time in the Queen City, but they'll be actively rooting against him on Tuesday night. As for the trade rumors, those are unlikely to quiet down until Castillo has a new home or the deadline passes later this summer.

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