The New York Yankees can’t roll into the 2022 season with their current starting pitching rotation. While they have several players returning from injury, they’ve proven to be liabilities, making an acquisition that much more important for general manager Brian Cashman this off-season.
Cashman unloaded a one-year, $25 million offer for Justin Verlander before the lockout commenced, so showing his aggression when it comes to finding a perfect number two behind Gerrit Cole.
This past season, Cole struggled at specific points, finishing with a 3.23 ERA, 12.06 strikeouts per nine, 2.93 SEIRA, and 2.93 xFIP. His xFIP was simply fantastic last season, meaning he was dominant outside of allowing home runs.
Ultimately, the Bombers need to find a great pairing with their star Ace. One option that could fit the bill is Luis Castillo of the Cincinnati Reds, coming off a 3.98 ERA season with 9.21 strikeouts per nine and a 71.5% left on-base percentage. Castillo lost 16 games, but you can justify overlooking that number when considering his individual statistics.
After May, Castillo posted a 2.73 ERA, showcasing incredible growth as the season progressed. He finished with a 4.03 SIERA and 3.63 xFIP. Overall, Luis had his fair share of struggles, but the Yankees would be able to unlock his true potential, and he’s connected to them almost every off-season.
Here’s what a proposed trade may look like between the Yankees-Reds:
Yankees Receive:
-Luis Castillo
Red Receive:
-Domingo German
-Jonathan Loáisiga
-Oswald Peraza
In this scenario, the Bombers get a starter who can lock down the No. 2 spot with team control until 2024, and they offer up a struggling starter in German, a great relief arm in Loáisiga, and top SS prospect, Peraza. At this point in time, with the reviews of Anthony Volpe, the team is better off using Peraza as a key piece in a trade, and given the Reds don’t have a player of his capacity in their minor-league system, he would be a pretty penny.
Ultimately, the Yankees would hate to lose Loáisiga, and if there’s another way to acquire Castillo without including him, that would be ideal, but given what Castillo’s value sits at, it’s necessary.
[wpdiscuz-feedback id=”4uenkfdxur” question=”What do you think?” opened=”0″]What do you think of this trade, and if you disagree, who would you consider? Comment here![/wpdiscuz-feedback]