Failed Reds prospect from Luis Castillo deal DFA'd again after Phillies-Orioles trade

The Cincinnati Reds are expected to have a somewhat active trade deadline. With the team just outside the playoff picture at the moment and riding the momentum of a three-game winning streak, there's some optimism throughout Reds Country that their favorite team could be buyers, not sellers, before the July 30th deadline passes.

A year ago, the Reds approached the MLB trade deadline as a "soft" buyer with former Oakland A's reliever Sam Moll as the team's only addition. However, in 2022, the Reds were major sellers at the deadline. Tyler Mahle, Tommy Pham, Brandon Drury, were all sent packing that summer.

But the biggest trade, by far, was sending All-Star pitcher Luis Castillo to the Seattle Mariners for a package of prospects. While three of the four prospects are still in the Reds' organization, Levi Stoudt is now searching for his fourth team in less than sixth months after being designated for assignment again after the Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore Orioles executed a trade on Friday afternoon.

Former Reds prospect Levi Stoudt was DFA'd again

Stoudt was one of the top prospects the Reds received in the Castillo deal. The Reds also acquired Noelvi Marte, Edwin Arroyo, and Andrew Moore, and were generally praised for the return that they received from the Mariners in exchange for their ace. Marte is looking to be a fixture in the Reds lineup, Arroyo (though currently on the IL) has the makings of a major league-caliber shortstop, and Moore has put up solid numbers (14.3 K/9) in the minors this season.

But Stoudt never lived up to the hype. A former third-round pick, Stoudt made his big league debut with the Reds in 2023 and went 0-1 with a 9.58 ERA in four games pitched. That's been his only exposure to the major leagues.

Stoudt was DFA'd by the Reds in February and eventually picked back up by his former team. The Mariners claimed Stoudt and sent him to Triple-A to begin the 2024 season. Stoudt's 6.92 ERA at Triple-A Tacoma wasn't good enough, so he was DFA'd by Seattle after 12 games and picked up by the Orioles. However, Baltimore wasn't satisfied with Stoudt's performance either and DFA'd the right-hander in order to make room on their roster following Friday's trade.

Stoudt took some shots at the Reds organization after his departure, claiming that Cincinnati lacked direction and that there wasn't much of a pitching philosophy. Since he'll now be looking to join his fourth organization since February, perhaps Stoudt should take an inventory of his own skillset before blaming other team's coaching staffs.

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