Blackburn: Banking on prospects? Reds know it well

Retired Cincinnati Enquirer columnist Paul Daugherty had more one-liners than Eddie Murphy during a heralded 34-year career covering sports in the Queen City.

His ability to spin the creative yarn with the written word was among the many fine traits of the writer who influenced me the most. Another was his penchant for cutting through the mess.

I can only imagine what he'd be writing today.

One of Doc's most often-used lines when it came to baseball trades and ballyhooed salary dumps was that the term "prospect" was simply another way of saying "ain't done nothin' yet."

When many real and armchair general managers alike were proclaiming the Wily Mo Pena's of the world as the second coming of Hank Aaron, you could usually count on Doc to douse the flames.

The usual message: When it comes to throwing parties for young kids with no track records, proceed with caution.

Reds fans know this all too well. Love him or loathe him, Doc was often right when it came to the team's penchant for moving older, more expensive players for guys the Baseball Americas and MLB Pipelines of the world proclaim saviors.

Hello, Jim Bowden? Drew Henson is on Line 1. Hello, Brandon Claussen? Jim will be with you shortly.

Guys like Pena, Henson and Claussen are among a long list of prospects — joined closely by Brandon Finnegan, Cody Reed and John Lamb — who flamed out with the Reds after being acquired for proven pieces at the trade deadline. The former were sent by Bowden to the Yankees for Aaron Boone, who became a playoff hero in 2003.

The latter was acquired for ace Johnny Cueto in a deal fostered by former GM Walt Jocketty in a deadline move in 2015. Amazingly, all three are out of the league seven years later. None stuck with the Reds, who pledged their rebuild.

Those foiled deals are just a few of the reasons why the age-old ritual of trading the proven for a glimmer of hold-on-and-pray makes most fans look for a cool place to lay down.

Luis Castillo was the latest star that the penny-pinching Reds sent packing for prospects. Two years ago, Castillo was helping the team make the playoffs in a shortened 2020 season. A year ago, he helped them battle for a playoff spot before the team faded down the stretch.

Now he's wearing another hat.

In a highly anticipated transaction featuring the top pitcher on the trade market, it wasn't a matter of if the Reds' ace was leaving town — it was the destination. In the end, Seattle — Seattle? — won his services.

The Reds, as expected, received a substantial ransom — shortstop Noelvi Marte, shortstop Edwin Arroyo, right-handed pitcher Levi Stoudt and right-handed pitcher Andrew Moore. Marte, Arroyo and Stoudt were top five prospects within the Mariner organization; Moore has a fastball that eclipses 100 mph and what Krall deemed "a plus slider."

Marte, 20, is universally regarded as a middle-of-the-order bat with All-Star-caliber talent. He's a top-20 MLB prospect. Arroyo, just 18, has lit up Single-A with 39 extra-base hits and a .316 average. He's also in MLB's top 100.

Stoudt, 24, is a Double-A starter with a 5.18 ERA; Moore has dominated Single-A with a 1.95 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings — exactly what a dude throwing triple-digits should be doing against kids.

This move alone, paired with the emergence of phenom Elly De La Cruz, sent the team's status among farm systems flying up the ladder.

It was a move the Reds had to make to execute their latest "plan." And it's doing nothing to help them now.

The 29-year-old Castillo, who Krall said was courted by 10-15 teams, was having his best season in the big leagues as he nears his 30th birthday. After missing April with a shoulder ailment that cost him valuable build-up time in a shortened spring training, he rebounded with a 2.86 ERA in 14 starts. His 1.07 WHIP ranks among the best of any starter.

He didn't want to leave, as he made that clear in his closing statements as a Red. In a world where ownership valued winning over their bank account standing, Castillo would be returning on a multi-year contract to help get this franchise back among the NL's contenders.

Instead, they're serving as another team's farm system — again. One fan called it the Reds' "perpetual rebuild." Either way, it's a rancid tonic to digest.

A year from now, if they're not contenders, the Mariners will be in the same boat the Reds are — pondering what kind of haul they can get at the deadline. You can bet it won't be what the Reds received.

It will probably be the Dodgers, Red Sox or Yankees, who could retain his services with a new contract. Welcome to MLB, where insanity reigns and the chosen few are afforded the luxuries of keeping their own.

Meanwhile, the Reds will do what the Reds do best — hope.

sblackbu@gannett.com; Twitter: @SamBlackburnTR

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Blackburn: Banking on prospects? Cincinnati Reds know it well