Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Luis Castillo and Colorado Rockies right-hander German Marquez are unlikely to be traded this winter, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. 

Both pitchers have been linked in trade rumors since the 2021 campaign ended. 

The Reds are likely to cut payroll this winter, and Castillo was seen as a prime candidate to be moved. The 28-year-old is arbitration-eligible through the 2023 season and is projected to earn $7.6 million in 2022. 

A report earlier this week by Jon Morosi also suggested the Reds were more open to trade discussions about Castillo than they've been in the past. The Los Angeles Dodgers had been linked to the former All-Star, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.  

Castillo went 8-16 during the 2021 season with a 3.98 ERA, 1.364 WHIP and 192 strikeouts in 187.2 innings across a career-high 33 starts. He also had a 4.8 WAR. 

The Dominican native made his MLB debut in 2017 and has gone 40-49 with a 3.72 ERA and 1.220 WHIP across five seasons. 

Marquez, meanwhile, was listed as a "name to watch" earlier this week by Morosi, who added the Rockies are "certainly going to cycle through and maybe get a little bit younger” this winter. 

However, Marquez won't become a free agent until after the 2024 campaign. He signed a five-year, $43 million contract with the Rockies in April 2019. 

The 26-year-old earned his first All-Star selection in 2021, when he went 12-11 with a 4.40 ERA, 1.272 WHIP and 176 strikeouts in 180 innings across 32 starts. He also had a 3.3 WAR. 

With Castillo and Marquez likely off the market, look for teams to instead eye some of MLB's top free-agent pitchers, including Zack Greinke, Marcus Stroman and Anthony DeSclafani.  

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Jonathan India and Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena, as expected, were named the National League and American League Rookies of the Year, respectively, on Monday.

India beat out St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson and Miami Marlins pitcher Trevor Rogers. Arozarena beat out teammate Wander Franco and Houston Astros pitcher Luis Garcia.

It seemed a foregone conclusion that India, 24, would win the award in the NL. he led MLB's rookies in games (150), on-base percentage (.376), doubles (34), walks (71) and runs scored (98) while ranking second with a .835 OPS. He added 21 homers and 69 RBI.

He took home 29 of 30 first-place votes.

"I can't imagine someone being more deserving than Jonathan," Reds manager David Bell told reporters after the season. "He's done everything. He's done everything in his power to make our team better, and he has done that. He's personally had just a great season, great accomplishments, but he's just simply made us a much better team by being in our lineup every day, and I think that's what it is all about."

The 26-year-old Arozarena was already the favorite to win Rookie of the Year after an incredible 2020 postseason that saw him named the AL Championship Series MVP.

"He set the bar so high, the expectation level coming off his postseason of 2020 probably made it unfair," Rays manager Kevin Cash told reporters. "Nobody in their right mind was going to say he was just going to back that up for the month he produced in the (2020) postseason. But for a 26-year-old rookie, he had a pretty special season."

Indeed he did, hitting 274 with 20 homers, 69 RBI, 94 runs, 32 doubles, 20 steals and a .815 OPS. He led all MLB rookies with a 4.1 WAR, per Baseball Reference.

Arozarena received 22 first-place votes.

It was stiff competition for both players. In the NL, the versatile Carlson—he played all three outfield positions and hit in seven different spots in St. Louis' lineup—hit .266 with 18 homers, 65 RBI, 79 runs and a .780 OPS.

Rogers, meanwhile, went 7-8 with a 2.64 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 157 strikeouts in 133 innings. Sixto Sanchez was the young pitcher the Marlins were expected to build around for the future, but after he was forced to miss the season, Rogers emerged as another building block in Miami.

In the AL, Franco very likely would have won this award had he played a full season. Nonetheless, he still hit .288 with seven homers, 39 RBI, 53 runs, a .810 OPS and a 3.5 WAR in 70 games.

"I think you could make the argument that he's the most impactful player on any team in baseball," Cash told reporters after the season. "Certainly for us, our team was really good; we got better when he came. He lengthened our lineup. He made our defense better. He worked really hard on his defense to make his defense better, and it made our overall defense better. He is a game-changing player. It's going to be fun to watch for a long time."

Finally, Garcia helped the Astros reach the World Series, finishing 11-8 with a 3.48 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in 28 starts during the regular season, leading AL rookie pitchers in wins (11), innings (155.1) and strikeouts (167).

The Cincinnati Reds are "willing to engage in talks" about a trade involving Luis Castillo, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi.

Jon Heyman of MLB Network added that Cincinnati might be open to moving "anyone making significant dollars," with Castillo referenced as a possible candidate. The right-hander is projected to receive $7.5 million for the 2022 season, per Spotrac.

Because he's headed for arbitration for the next two offseasons, Castillo will probably make less than he would earn if he were on the open market right now. Nevertheless, that cost might be too high for the Reds, who aren't being very subtle about their priorities.

Cincinnati traded Tucker Barnhart and his $7.75 million salary in 2022 to the Detroit Tigers. Explaining the move, general manager Nick Krall said the franchise "must align our payroll to our resources."

The front office followed up by waiving Wade Miley rather than picking up his $10 million option. The southpaw landed with an NL Central rival, the Chicago Cubs.

At this point, a Castillo trade might be inevitable.

The 28-year-old started a bit slowly in 2021 but finished with a 3.98 ERA and a 3.75 FIP in 33 appearances, per FanGraphs. He watched his strikeout rate climb from 8.4 per nine innings in the first half to 10.2 per nine in the second.

If the Reds are committed to tanking, then now is the time to trade Castillo. His two years of team control should allow Cincinnati to get a healthy return, and the free-agent market might help Krall's position at the bargaining table.

Max Scherzer is the unquestioned top pitcher available, but his age (37) may limit his pool of suitors. Then there is a good group of starters (Robbie Ray, Kevin Gausman, Marcus Stroman, Noah Syndergaard, Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw among others) who either is not a proven ace or doesn't have question marks about his health.

For teams aiming to strengthen their starting rotation, pursuing Castillo in a trade might be better than dipping into free agency. 

One of Major League Baseball's best players during the 2021 season could be on the move.

Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported Thursday that right fielder Nick Castellanos opted out of his contract with the Cincinnati Reds, which was set to pay him $32 million over the next two years.

This isn't particularly surprising, as Heyman noted in August that Castellanos was "likely" to do so and become a free agent.

Perhaps the Reds could have traded him prior to the deadline this season to avoid potentially losing him for nothing, but they remained in playoff contention until a late collapse in large part because of his presence in the lineup.

Castellanos surely elected to opt out of his contract because he largely outplayed the amount of money he was set to make.

He slashed .309/.362/.576 with 34 home runs, 38 doubles and 100 RBI while making his first career All-Star Game in 2021. He has power to all fields, can drive the ball in the gap and hits for average as someone who can carry a lineup for extended stretches.

Cincinnati was the third stop of Castellanos' career after he played for the Detroit Tigers from 2013 until the middle of the 2019 campaign when they traded him to the Chicago Cubs.

He launched 23 or more home runs in three straight years from 2017 through 2019 and even led the league with 10 triples in the first season of that stretch. He has been a player who hits for average and power during his prime and will remain in that prime for the immediate future at 29 years old.

Castellanos figures to be one of the most highly sought-after free agents this offseason given his age and recent production, and the Reds may have to compete with a number of big-market teams if they hope to re-sign him on a more lucrative deal than he opted out of Thursday.

Outfielder Nick Castellanos "will obviously" opt out of the final two years of his contract with the Cincinnati Reds and hit free agency, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

Castellanos has at least $34 million remaining on his deal, including a $16 million salary in both 2022 and 2023 as well as a mutual option in 2024 that features a $2 million buyout. The Reds have "interest in retaining him," per Heyman, but it would likely take a larger deal to keep him under team control.

The 29-year-old earned his first career All-Star selection in 2021 while producing a .309 batting average, 34 home runs and a .939 OPS, all career highs in his ninth major league season.

Castellanos led the Reds with 100 RBI and helped key an offense that ranked second in the National League in batting average and fourth in runs scored.

It's enough for the outfielder to likely opt out of his initial four-year, $64 million deal after just two seasons. He also had an opportunity to opt out after the 2020 season, per Spotrac, although he struggled to a .225 average with 14 home runs in 60 games.

The veteran has proved himself as a quality hitter in the past, hitting 104 home runs across seven seasons with the Detroit Tigers. He was arguably at his best in 2019 after a midseason trade to the Chicago Cubs, exploding for a .321 average with 16 home runs in just 51 games.

There would still be question marks for any interested teams, however, most notably on defense.

Castellanos finished 2021 with negative-seven defensive runs saved, per FanGraphs. He is responsible for 93 runs lost during his career, including 48 in the outfield and 45 at third base.

Assuming he opts out, It might take a move to designated hitter for a team to take advantage of his value at the plate.

Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell told reporters on Wednesday that he and the team have agreed on a two-year contract extension. 

Bell added that he expects his current coaching staff to return as well. 

Bell, 49, has served as the Reds manager for the past three seasons, leading the team to a 184-190 mark in that span. He led the team to a playoff berth in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, though it was swept by the Atlanta Braves in the wild-card round. 

The news comes as the Reds are slumping, however, having lost 17 of their last 26 games. That has left them four games back of the St. Louis Cardinals for the final wild-card spot with just 10 games remaining, making a return to the postseason unlikely. 

Previously, Bell spent five years working on Mike Matheny's coaching staff with the St. Louis Cardinals, and a year as the San Francisco Giants' vice president of player development. 

He also spent 12 years in the Major Leagues as a player with Cleveland, the Cardinals, the Seattle Mariners, Giants, Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers, hitting .257 for his career with 123 homers and 589 RBI. 

Under Bell, the Reds transitioned from a rebuilding team to a playoff contender. While the 2021 season may ultimately be dubbed a disappointment, the organization is in a better place than when he took over, justifying an extension. 

The Cincinnati Reds placed infielder Mike Moustakas on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Tuesday with plantar fasciitis.

The three-time All-Star has been limited to 62 games in 2021 because of a right heel contusion. He experienced a setback during the recovery process, which prolonged his time on the shelf.

Moustakas is batting .208 with six home runs and 22 RBI during his limited time on the field so far.

Although they've been without Moustakas for a majority of the season, the Reds are only four games back of the second wild-card spot in the National League. Jesse Winker, Joey Votto and Nick Castellanos have led the offense in his absence.

With Moustakas sidelined, Eugenio Suarez has remained at his natural position of third base for the most part. Suarez was the starting shortstop on Opening Day in April, while Moustakas was at the hot corner.

Given what they've done without him so far, the Reds may not be panicking with the 33-year-old once again on the shelf.

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto hosted a special guest during his team's recent homestand at Great American Ballpark.

As reported by Bally Sports Cincinnati, Votto arranged for a 10-year-old Reds fan going through cancer treatment to have the day of the lifetime.

As Bally Sports Cincinnati showcased, Votto arranged for multiple Reds players to talk to the young fan, and he also got a signed photo from the star first baseman. Votto routinely talked to the 10-year-old and even asked for advice before heading to the plate.

Votto has performed good acts for people with cancer multiple times over the years. Earlier this season, he signed a ball for another Reds fan.

In 2017, he gave a ball and bat to a six-year-old fan fighting cancer. He also attended his visitation after the fan passed away.

In sum, Votto is one of the game's top first basemen and humanitarians, and that was evident again this week.

Cincinnati Reds star Joey Votto has had quite the bounce-back season.

In the last 28 days alone, the veteran is slashing .267/.384/.556 with a .939 OPS and seven home runs while Cincinnati has put itself squarely in the postseason race.

Reds fans can thank one person in particular for that: Votto's golf instructor. 

Speaking to The Chris Rose Rotation, Votto explained going to a golf coach during the 2020 campaign helped revamp his swing:

"[The golf coach] said the golfers that make the most money, top money earners in the sport, are the longest drivers and the golfers that lose their cards are the most accurate drivers. ... And I likened that to hitting. I'm making contact, I'm controlling the strike zone but I'm not wild up there. So if you can't hit the ball hard and you can't stretch out the defense, you don't stand a chance in this game." 

The change is noticeable. 

Votto has already hit more home runs this year (28) than he has in any season since 2017 (36). 

Take it from a major leaguer: sometimes focusing on your hobby is the best way to improve at your day job.