Reds should rethink trading Luis Castillo to the Yankees after seeing the return for Andrew Benintendi

We saw the New York Yankees trade for Kansas City Royals outfielder Andrew Benintendi last night, and to be honest, the return felt a little light. Three pitching prospects were sent back to KC, two of which were ranked among New York's Top 25 according to MLB Pipeline.

The Yankees sent T.J. Sikkema, Beck Way, and Chandler Champlain to Kansas City and in return received a Gold Glove winning left fielder who's hitting .320 and went to his first All-Star Game this season.

Granted, Benintendi will be a free agent after this season, but for his career the Cincinnati native has a .784 OPS, and outside of the 2020 season, the 28-year-old has been quite durable.

The Reds should think twice about doing business with the Yankees at the deadline.

The Cincinnati Reds and New York Yankees have been rumored for some time to be engaged in trade talks surrounding Luis Castillo. With less than a week until the trade deadline, those discussions will be heating up. It's very unlikely that Castillo makes his next scheduled start for the Reds.

But after seeing the return that Kansas City received from New York in exchange for Andrew Benintendi, Cincinnati should really question whether or not they wish to do business with the Yankees.

The last time the Reds and Yankees engaged in trade talks, Cincinnati got the better end of the deal. The Redlegs acquired right-handed pitcher Sonny Gray and Reiver Sanmartin in exchange for Shed Long and a compensatory draft pick. The Yankees actually used that pick to select the aforementioned T.J. Sikkema.

It's going to cost the New York Yankees a lot more than just three mid-tier pitching prospects in order to make a trade for Luis Castillo. But the worrisome aspect of the return that the Kansas City Royals received for Andrew Benintendi is that there was more than just one suitor. The Toronto Blue Jays and Milwaukee Brewers were said to be after the outfielder as well.

Cincinnati Reds General Manager Nick Krall cannot afford to screw this up. If the club intends to deal Luis Castillo at the trade deadline, Cincinnati must get maximum value in return.