Cardinals Rumors: St. Louis checked in on Reds’ Luis Castillo

As the St. Louis Cardinals search for pitching upgrades, they have reportedly checked in on Cincinnati Reds ace Luis Castillo.

With Jack Flaherty out until at least late August and the pitching depth in question, the St. Louis Cardinals are exploring pitching upgrades. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak has even indicated that it will be the team’s priority.

So it comes as no surprise that the Cardinals have checked in on Cincinnati Reds right-hander Luis Castillo, according to Jim Bowden of The Athletic. Among other teams to check in on Castillo include the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Almost every contender needs pitching depth and thus will check in on Castillo and the other top starting pitchers on the market. A Castillo trade is not imminent at this time and it’s not expected that talks will heat up until after the All-Star break, as teams are focused on the MLB Draft at this time. But I would be shocked if he ends up in St. Louis.

For one, Castillo pitches for the division-rival Reds, and their front office would seek an absolute haul in return to trade him within the division. Mozeliak has shown no willingness to part with his top prospects in the past and it’s unlikely that would change now, especially in a deal for Castillo or Tyler Mahle, another Reds pitcher prominently named in trade talks.

There’s no doubt that Castillo would help a leaky Cardinals rotation. In 12 starts this season, the 29-year-old has posted a 2.92 ERA and 74/23 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 71 innings. What makes Castillo particularly intriguing is his controllability – he’s a free agent in 2024 – and his track record of pitching over 169.2 innings per season (he’s done so three times in five full seasons).

That would be especially useful for the Cardinals, who are struggling to eat innings this year, and could use another arm to take some work off the rotation and bullpens shoulders. But Castillo is an unlikely target and should end up somewhere other than St. Louis come Aug. 3.