Report: Why the Yankees Haven't Been Able to Trade For Luis Castillo Yet

Cincinnati wants to hit the breaks on trade talks, according to this report.

The Yankees are interested in acquiring ace Luis Castillo from the Reds, but Cincinnati is in no rush to make a deal.

According to Brendan Kuty of NJ Advance Media, the Reds are telling teams "we'll get back to you on that" when it comes to Castillo trade talks. 

From Cincinnati's perspective, this strategy makes sense, to a certain extent.

The Reds want to get as much back for Castillo as possible, an All-Star and an ace with an additional year of control. Why rush with this process when teams will get more desperate and bid against each other in the days and hours leading up to Tuesday's deadline. 

This has to be frustrating for the Yankees, though, if they feel like they're offering a sufficient package to the Reds, hoping to get their guy before another team swoops in. 

Castillo recently showed that he's a great fit for the Yankees, shining on the biggest stage. The right-hander threw seven innings of one-run baseball against New York at Yankee Stadium earlier this month, defeating the mighty Yankees in their home ballpark. Castillo got the win in that game—he's now gone seven innings in four games in a row, posting a 1.93 ERA in that span.

Buster Olney of ESPN reported on Thursday that he's heard some speculation around the league that the Reds might choose to hang on to Castillo. One day prior, Jon Heyman of the New York Post confirmed that New York is still interested in adding Castillo to their rotation before the deadline, along with Frankie Montas of the A's. Andy Martino of SNY added that New York sent a scout to Cincinnati on Thursday to watch Castillo pitch against the Marlins. The right-hander threw seven frames with three runs allowed, striking out eight batters in a win, his fourth victory of the season.

As for what it would take to acquire Castillo, in terms of prospects, it's been reported by Heyman that the Reds want one of New York's two top shortstop prospects (Anthony Volpe or Oswald Peraza). Whether that changes over the next five days remains to be seen.

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