The Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners pulled off a blockbuster trade last summer. How's that working out for both teams?
The Cincinnati Reds were a sorry excuse for a major league team in 2022. The Reds sold off assets left and right before the season even began, and then doubled down on the rebuild before the trade deadline.
The Seattle Mariners were one of the biggest benefactors from Cincinnati's fire sale, after securing the services of Eugenio Suarez and Jesse Winker before the season, and later adding Luis Castillo.
Last season saw the Mariners return to the postseason for the first time since 2001, and the team is squarely in the playoff hunt again this season. But nobody saw the Reds rebounding from a 100-loss campaign to put themselves in the conversation for a playoff berth.
Regrading the Luis Castillo trade after Reds call up Noelvi Marte
Recently, the Cincinnati Reds decided to call up yet another one of their talented prospects. How many of these guys does Cincinnati have? I mean, we've already seen Elly De La Cruz, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Andrew Abbott, and Matt McLain. Who else is left?
Well, you can add Noelvi Marte to the list. The former Seattle Mariners farmhand made his major league debut on Saturday and draws his first start in the big leagues today. In fact, the Reds are running out an all-rookie infield for today's series finale agains the Toronto Blue Jays with Marte, De La Cruz, McLain, and Encarnacion-Strand.
With Marte making his first big league start, it seems like as good a time as any to regrade last year's trade deadline deal between the Reds and Mariners that netted Seattle its All-Star pitcher.
The Mariners acquired Luis Castillo in exchange for the aforementioned Noelvi Marte, along with shortstop Edwin Arroyo and right-handed pitchers Levi Stoudt and Andrew Moore. Arroyo ranks as a Top 100 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, while Stoudt has made his big league already this season.
As for Castillo, the right-hander started out the 2023 season red-hot, but has cooled off a bit of late. Prior to the All-Star break, Castillo was 6-6 with a 2.85 ERA, 3.77 FIP, and 117 punch outs in 107 innings of work.
Since the second-half of the season began, however, Castillo's ERA has jumped to 4.19 through his last seven starts while also allowing eight home runs.
The Mariners are fully committed to Luis Castillo for the foreseeable future after they inked the 30-year-old to a five-year/$108-million contract extension last summer. All things considered, a contract at an average annual value (AAV) of less than $22-million for an ace isn't too shabby.
As for the Cincinnati Reds, Noelvi Marte looks to be the future at third base if he lives up to the hype. A Top 100 prospect in his own right, Marte is expected to help anchor the left side of the Reds infield alongside Elly De La Cruz and provide big-time pop for the middle of the batting order.
In the end, this looks like a win-win for both teams. The Mariners were in need of a veteran starting pitcher to lead their young rotation into the future, while the Reds were targeting high-value assets while in the midst of a full-on rebuild.
If Edwin Arroyo plays up to his potential, and Levi Stoudt provides more than just middle relief, this trade could go down as an A+ for the Reds. As it is, however, it's safe to say that both teams deserve a B+ for last year's blockbuster that filled a need for both ball clubs.
