Luis Castillo trade power rankings: Yankees take the top spot with just days until the deadline

Sorry Reds fans, but Luis Castillo is as good as gone. With the trade deadline looming, we're inching closer and closer to Castillo putting on another team's jersey. But where will Castillo end up?

By now you've heard all the rumors. There are probably as many as a dozen teams that at some point in time have been linked to the Cincinnati Reds starter. Some of these trade destinations sound quite plausible while others seem very far-fetched.

But let's see if we can get a better idea of which teams are actually in the Luis Castillo sweepstakes and which teams are just pretenders. Who are the Top 5 teams most likely to land Castillo before the upcoming trade deadline?

5. The Mets might not have enough to trade for Reds' RHP Luis Castillo.

The New York Mets have been rumored to be interested in Luis Castillo for some time. But it's looking more and more like the Mets are trying to upgrade their hitting. New York's offense has been struggling of late, and the addition of Daniel Vogelbach isn't going to move the needle.

From the Reds side of things, it looks as though the prospects the Cincinnati front office might look to target will not be available. Top position player prospects Francisco Alvarez and Brett Baty are thought to be off limits. Unless that changes, it's unlikely the Reds and Mets work out a trade for Luis Castillo.

4. The Astros are in the mix to trade for Reds' RHP Luis Castillo.

It's unlikely the Oakland A's will want to do business with their division rival, the Houston Astros, so Frankie Montas is probably not headed to the Lone Star State. Houston, however, has been mentioned as a possible destination for Luis Castillo.

The Astros farm system is a bit light, so those top prospects that Cincinnati is said to covet might not exist. Castillo's services are going to cost the receiving team a pretty penny, and Houston might be a day late and a dollar short when it comes to prospect capital.

3. The Dodgers might prioritize a bat over Reds' RHP Luis Castillo.

Much like the aforementioned New York Mets, the Los Angeles Dodgers might be more interested in adding a high-end bat over a high-end arm. But, LA's President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman is always working the phones and the Dodgers have been rumored to be after Luis Castillo's services for some time.

For Cincinnati, doing business with the Dodgers would afford them the ability to land any number of top prospects. Los Angeles has a very top-heavy farm system. While the Dodgers will not be parting with Diego Cartaya, there are other great young players like Ryan Pepiot and Andy Pages in LA's organization as well.

2. The Blue Jays could make a last-minute push trade for Reds' RHP Luis Castillo.

I don't think the Toronto Blue Jays are going to sit idly by while teams like the Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins make a play for Luis Castillo. If the Jays are unable to acquire Castillo, there is Oakland's starting pitcher Frankie Montas.

But the Blue Jays have been linked to the Reds hurler, and while Toronto's farm system isn't as deep as others, Cincinnati could find some high-quality prospects who'd certainly help. Gabriel Moreno is probably a stretch, but Orelvis Martinez and Rickey Tiedmann could probably be had.

1. The Yankees are the favorites to land Reds' RHP Luis Castillo.

The New York Yankees have been after Cincinnati Reds pitcher Luis Castillo for years, and it appears as though they may finally be in line to acquire his services. Let's hope for Castillo's sake, that unlike Samson, he doesn't lose the ability to pitch after having to cut his hair.

In all seriousness, the Yankees look to the be the odds-on favorite to land Luis Castillo before the August 2nd deadline. New York has a very deep farm system and despite having the best record in baseball, the Yankees are not invincible.

Anthony Vople, Jasson Dominguez, Oswald Peraza, and Ken Waldichuk could all be fantastic additions to the Reds farm system. Will the Yankees be courageous enough to part with several of their top prospects?