Will the Cincinnati Reds trade Luis Castillo to the Los Angeles Dodgers?

You have to believe that Los Angeles Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman is on the phone with Cincinnati Reds GM Nick Krall right now.

The Dodgers have already made contact with the Reds about a potential trade for the right-hander, and after losing Max Scherzer to the New York Mets, LA must find a way to reload.

Will the Reds lose Luis Castillo to the Dodgers?

The Los Angeles Dodgers have effectively lost Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw, and Trevor Bauer from their 2021 starting rotation.

Scherzer signed a three-year/$130M contract with the Mets earlier today.

It seems very unlikely that Kershaw returns to LA, though the possibility still exists. That said, the southpaw is no longer a No. 1 starter.

And we all know that Bauer is hot water. It's questionable if the 2020 NL Cy Young Award-winner will ever pitch in the league again.

To make matters worse for the Dodgers, Robbie Ray just signed with the Seattle Mariners, the Texas Rangers agreed to terms with Jon Gray, and Kevin Gausman is off to Toronto.

The market for starting pitchers has effectively dried up. Marcus Stroman is probably the best hurler remaining on the open market.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are not going to sit idly by and allow all these other teams to improve their rosters. Look for LA to make a splash.

The Dodgers have some talented young pitching prospects, but does Andrew Friedman go into 2022 with a rotation of Walker Buehler, Julio Urias, Tony Gonsolin, Ryan Pepiot, and David Price?

I don't think so. Yes, Dustin May is still on the roster, but after undergoing Tommy John surgery last spring, it's doubtful he'll be on LA's Opening Day roster.

Making a deal with the Cincinnati Reds for Luis Castillo makes a ton of sense for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Reds price tag is said to be very high, but there's little doubt that the Dodgers would find some way to match it.

The Dodgers have five prospects among the Top 100 in baseball per MLB Pipeline. And former top prospects like Dustin May or Gavin Lux could be part of a return as well.

Sonny Gray could be a pitcher the Los Angeles Dodgers target as well. LA wouldn't have to give up as much in reuto land the two-time All-Star.