3 sleeper teams who could surprisingly emerge in trade talks for Reds starter Luis Castillo

3. The Rangers could be a sleeper team to trade for Reds RHP Luis Castillo.

Will the Texas Rangers be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline? That's great question and one we might not have the answer for until later this month. However, if Texas is able to remain in contention for that last Wild Card spot, I wouldn't rule out the Rangers making a play for Luis Castillo.

Much like the aforementioned Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox, the Texas Rangers starting rotation is about average in terms of ERA. Unlike the Guardians, Rangers' starters doa good job of keeping the ball in the park. Texas, however, ranks in the bottom third of the league in terms of strikeouts.

The Rangers already added former Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Jon Gray this past offseason, but the right-hander has been less than spectacular since his debut in Arlington. Martin Perez has been the ace for Texas this season, but the 31-year-old is a free agent at the end of the 2022 season.

Adding Luis Castillo would help the Texas Rangers contend for a Wild Card spot in 2022 and also give them a top-tier starter heading into 2023. The Rangers have shown a willingness to hand out massive contracts, as they signed Corey Seager and Marcus Semien to exorbitant deals this past offseason.

Any team that lands Luis Castillo will have to pay a hefty price. The Cincinnati Reds are sitting on a gold mine and Nick Krall cannot afford to screw this up. The Reds should remain patient with Castillo until teams begin the bidding war. If the worst thing that happens is that Cincinnati does not receive an offer they like, so be it. Castillo is under team control for one more year.