Blue Jays: Part 2 – Examining potential pitching trade targets

Toronto Blue Jays acquire: RHP Luis Castillo (110.8)                                                                           (110.8)

Cincinnati Reds acquire: UTIL Cavan Biggio (52.9)

C Alejandro Kirk (24.1)

SS Orelvis Martinez (22.2)

3B Kevin Smith (1.1)                                                                                       (100.3)

Another name high on Blue Jays fans lists, Luis Castillo is one pitcher that will require a lot of capital in order to get him North of the border.

In just four years in the MLB, Castillo owns a 3.62 ERA with 578 strikeouts,184 walks, and a 1.168 WHIP in 90 starts. The Dominican native is entering his prime years at 28 years old and has still three years of control, as he will be entering his second year of arbitration next year and will become eligible for free agency in 2024.

In this trade, the main centerpiece heading to the Reds would be utility player Cavan Biggio, a left-handed hitter capable of playing multiple positions in the infield and in the outfield. Accompanying Biggio would be three prospects on the Blue Jays top 30 list in catcher Alejandro Kirk (6), shortstop Orelvis Martinez (7), and SS/3B Kevin Smith (20).

For the Reds, Biggio could slot into almost anywhere in the infield as well as corner slots in the outfield. The organization could move one of their larger contract players like Mike Moustakas, Eugenio Suarez, or Nick Castellanos to make room for Biggio or chose to keep him as a utility player moving forward. Martinez and Smith would join the Reds farm system and continue working towards the MLB, while Kirk could slot in as the backup behind primary catcher Tucker Barnhart to begin the 2021 season. The Reds could also send Kirk to the minor leagues to continue developing and utilize Tyler Stephenson for the year, depending on when the trade occurs and how Kirk is playing this season.

For the Blue Jays, the rotation would have one of the best one-two punch combos in the American League with Hyun-Jin Ryu and Luis Castillo. Follow those two with a mix of Nate Pearson, Robbie Ray, and a fifth pitcher (there is a long list to choose from at the moment) and the Blue Jays have a very strong rotation to bolster them towards playoff baseball over the next few years.

Conclusion

This trade would hurt in terms of value leaving the organization, with the Blue Jays giving up two prospects they are very high on while also giving up a solid player in Cavan Biggio who will not be eligible for free agency until 2026.

This trade really would need some high-level prospects in order to get the deal done, and if you really don’t want to give up Biggio, then you would most likely have to substitute Jordan Groshans in his place. With the scenario above, the Blue Jays would still maintain their top five prospects while adding to the rotation without giving up a pitching prospect in return. You could probably do this trade without having to include Smith, but Baseball Trade Values would not accept the trade without the Smith addition (to push it over the 100 mark I guess).

This trade will most likely not happen anytime soon, as the Reds are not tanking nor rebuilding at the time and haven’t been actively shopping their current ace. This would mean the deal hinges mostly on Cincinnati wanting to shed payroll at the end of the year, as Castillo will command a bigger payday next year in arbitration.

The team has been fielding interest from multiple teams over the off-season, so it does appear that the Reds could move him at the right price. Hopefully, the price comes down when the trade deadline comes around, as adding Castillo to the rotation this season would be a huge bonus for a team fighting to play in October again.