SEATTLE — As he watched home plate umpire Chad Fairchild signal a swing and strike three Tuesday night, Seattle Mariners starter Luis Castillo walked off the mound and unleashed his customary uppercut fist pump, a move Cincinnati Reds fans saw plenty of when he was with their team.
It was Castillo’s 101st pitch of the night in his 122nd start with the Mariners since the Reds sent him westward at the 2022 trade deadline. He’s become a mainstay in Seattle’s deep rotation, helping lead the Mariners to the playoffs twice since arriving.
The man on the other end of the strikeout, Reds second baseman Edwin Arroyo, struck out for the 25th time in his big-league career, dropping his average to .243. Arroyo was one of four prospects traded from the Mariners to the Reds four years ago.
The Reds were widely praised for their haul at the time. The Athletic’s Jim Bowden gave the Reds an A for their overall trade deadline. Baseball America ranked Noelvi Marte and Arroyo the third- and fourth-best prospects dealt at the deadline. ESPN gave the Mariners a C on the deal and the Reds an A, adding: “They may have hit a home run.”
Four years on, the deal was certainly worth it for the Mariners. For the Reds?
“I am not sure we actually know,” Cinncinati manager Terry Francona said.
Luis Castillo has helped the Mariners to two postseason appearances since being traded from the Reds in 2022. (Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
Two of the four players — Arroyo and Marte — were in the lineup for Tuesday’s 4-2 victory over the Mariners. They combined to go 1 for 7 in the game and 1 for 6 against Castillo.
The Mariners’ broadcast opened with a graphic comparing Castillo’s 9.1 fWAR to the combined negative-0.8 fWAR of the four prospects the Reds received, including negative marks for both Arroyo and Marte.
The only positive mark came from right-hander Levi Stoudt, who appeared in four games (two starts) in 2023 and had more runs allowed (11) than innings pitched (10 1/3), but still earned a 0.1 fWAR. The Reds placed Stoudt on waivers before the 2024 season. He hasn’t been back to the big leagues since and is currently in the Philadelphia Phillies’ system.
The fourth player, reliever Andrew Moore, was traded to the San Diego Padres for first baseman/outfielder Connor Joe last year. Moore, who reached Double-A with the Reds, is currently in Triple-A with the Padres.
It would be fair to say the trade hasn’t worked out for the Reds to this point.
Arroyo is still just 22 years old — he was 18 at the time of the trade — and has played in just 38 big-league games. He’s a young player with little experience, including in Monday’s loss when he struggled in the field.
“I think the speed of the game here sometimes — it’s faster and sometimes you can’t keep up,” Francona said. “Sometimes with young guys, it shows. That’s why you don’t make rash decisions. Because when it does start to slow down, some guys get a lot better.”
Marte, on the other hand, has flashed the talent that made him a top-20 prospect. The 24-year-old debuted at the end of 2023, showing the speed and hitting prowess that led the Reds to believe he’d be their Opening Day third baseman the following season. Then in spring training, he was suspended after testing positive for Boldenone, a performance-enhancing substance, in violation of MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
When Marte returned from his 80-game ban, he had none of the swagger and none of the production. In 66 games, he hit .210 and struggled defensively at third base.
Marte didn’t make the Opening Day roster in 2025. He struggled after being recalled that season from Triple-A Louisville, but a mid-season position change to the outfield seemed to unlock something. He finished the season hitting .263 and had a season-saving home run robbery in late September.
This has been another up-and-down season for Marte, though more down than up. He struck out 10 times in his first 31 plate appearances with just four hits and was sent back down to the minors. He again earned his way back to the big leagues, but is still striking out too much (25.4 percent of his plate appearances) and is hitting .190.
“I think, just to be truthful, I think we’re still trying to figure out what’s there — not just what could be there, but what is there,” Francona said.
Marte’s talent is still obvious. He has great physical skills, including speed, arm strength and power, but he has yet to put it all together, much like former Red Edwin Encarnacion, another one-time third baseman of the future who was traded midway through his fifth season in the big leagues and went on to finish his career with three All-Star appearances and 424 career home runs.
“That’s the hard thing — you don’t have a crystal ball and you don’t know who’s going to figure it out,” Francona said. “I think there are some guys you probably bet on more than others, but man, when they do, you hate to be the team that was like ‘Damn man, we should have waited.’ It’s a little hard, but do the best you can.”
