:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/52820161/usa_today_9575385.0.jpg)
Jeff Passan tweets that the Reds are close to sending Dan Straily to the Marlins in exchange for some young pitchers, Luis Castillo, Austin Brice, and another prospect.
Sources: Marlins near deal for starter Dan Straily from Cincinnati. RHP Luis Castillo and Austin Brice, plus third prospect, go to Reds.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 19, 2017
Straily was a shrewd pickup for the Reds last winter, claimed off waivers from the Padres just before Opening Day. He ended up being the steadiest arm in the rotation, throwing 191.1 innings with a 3.76 ERA.
Castillo is the big get here, and hooo boy what a get. He was the Marlins Minor League Pitcher of the Year after twirling up a 2.26 ERA between A+ and AA. He has a big high-90s fastball and is close to big-league ready. I’mma guess he’ll start in AAA this year and we’ll have to rerun our prospect rankings a bit.
If this is real, this is a really smart deal for the Reds. You can look at Straily as house money: they paid zero to get him off waivers and have turned him into a top prospect who should be ready to contribute when the Reds are ready to win. It also opens a rotation spot for more of the young fellas to duke it out. I’m really liking this deal.