3 trade targets after missing Luis Castillo

CINCINNATI, OHIO – JULY 2: Tyler Mahle #30 of the Cincinnati Reds throws a pitch. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Dodgers missed an opportunity to acquire Luis Castillo from the Cincinnati Reds. Where do you turn now?

Well it finally happened. The Cincinnati Reds opened the floodgates of the trade season by sending starting pitcher Luis Castillo to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for four prospects. On the surface, the deal looks like a win for both organizations.

But with Seattle the clear winner as far as competing teams go, several other ball clubs will be looking to find another starting pitcher with Castillo off the board. One of those teams is the Los Angeles Dodgers.

LA was supposed to be in for Castillo’s services alongside a dozen or so other teams, but in the end it was the Mariners who emerged victorious. So where should the Dodgers turn now?

1. The Dodgers should target Reds RHP Tyler Mahle.

Now that they’ve traded Luis Castillo and Tyler Naquin, the Cincinnati Reds are obvious sellers at this year’s close. With that in mind, the Los Angeles Dodgers Castillos should now target former teammate Tyler Mahle.

Mahle has a solid but unspectacular track record. While Mahle isn’t as cheap as Castillo, it’s not that far behind. Mahle is yet to make an all-star appearance, but the Reds 2022 opening-day starter has put his struggles at the start of the season behind him and excelled in recent weeks.

After being transferred to the IL just before the All-Star Game, Mahle returned with a fine performance against the St. Louis Cardinals last week to prove he’s perfectly healthy. Mahle knocked out five batsmen in that game.

Tyler Mahle won’t win a Cy Young Award, but he would be a solid No. 3 pitcher in the Dodgers rotation if Walker Buehler is out through injury. Mahle has a 3.03 ERA in his last six starts and 43 punch-outs over 38.2 innings.