Adios Castillo

[CJD]

(07-28-2022, 08:22 AM)samhain Wrote: The big rumor is that the Yankees are becoming more open to trading number 2 overall prospect Oswald Peraza for Castillo. He's a SS that was previously thought to be totally off limits.  It would be a premium return with other prospects thrown in.  I'd want something else on a mid-tier top 100 prospect pitching level, and they have a couple of guys like that.  NYY is showing some serious weaknesses of late, and Castillo is precisely the kind of player they need.  I despise seeing him go because he's probably the best pitcher we've had since Soto.  That said, it would be a step forward for this organization to trade a highly-valued commodity like Castillo and not get fleeced by a bigger organization as they have in the past.

I can't stand the Castellinis and their cheap, nepotism based organizational structure, but Krall should be commended if he holds out and works a trade partner into giving up more than they initially wanted to to get Luis.  Whoever gets him will get a guy that's perhaps a second tier ace that's currently pitching like a first tier one.  The acquiring team should have to bleed out in the farm system to the point where it's painful for them.  Quality isn't free and high quality takes a premium to bring in.  

This trade should make the Reds farm system top ten in the league when the dust settles.  If it doesn't, they have failed.  I look at the Astros, who basically tanked and stocked the farm system for a few years before they became a major AL power and won a title.  They were an absolute joke.  Then, as their prospect capital started to mature, they blossomed into a loaded team that was largely built through trading for young players, drafting well, and developing.  The Reds should have done this after 2013 but they botched it by holding on to players too long.  That can't happen this time.

I love the idea of getting a top prospect + some more from the Yankees, but Peraza seems like something we already have two fold in Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain
According to MLB.com La Cruz is the 48th ranked player in the minors with the following scouting grades:
Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 55 | Run: 60 | Arm: 60 | Field: 55 | Overall: 55

McLain is the 58th ranked player in the minors with the following scouting grades:
Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 50 | Run: 60 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55

Peraza is the 37th ranked player in the minors with the following scouting grades:
Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 50 | Run: 60 | Arm: 60 | Field: 60 | Overall: 55 

(As an aside, baseball scouting grades are not on a 0 to 100 scale, they are on a 20 to 80 scale where 50 is considered average and 80 is considered the most elite tool you'll see, like Billy Hamilton's speed.)

So better as a fielder, worse either as a hitter or in terms of power relative to the other two.

And this may even be out of date because De La Cruz is having an incredible season, hitting near .300 in A+ and AA with 20 HRs, 28 SBs with an OPS over .900.

We could shift De La Cruz to 3rd base, so it's not a huge deal, but I'd love to see us get some high quality pitching in return for Castillo. The Yankees don't really have any pitchers in their minor league system that could qualify for that, but the Dodgers do have Bobbly Miller, the 25th ranked player in the minor leagues with the following scouting grades:
Scouting grades: Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 50 | Overall: 55 

I'd love to get a player with 4 above average pitches (I hear he even has a good 2 seamer as a 5th pitch) and average control in exchange for Castillo rather than a shortstop who may not even be the top shortstop prospect in our farm system. But, obviously, it all depends on what teams are offering.

Alternatively, I would love to get a premium outfielder like Robert Hassell III from the Padres.

No matter which way we go, we could get a really good foundational piece for the future out of this trade. It's weird to feel this excited this late in the season for exactly the wrong reason haha!