On March 14, when the Cincinnati Reds traded left fielder Jesse Winker and third baseman Eugenio Suárez to the Seattle Mariners, Reds general manager Nick Krall was asked whether or not the Reds were about to start a complete rebuild.
Krall responded by explaining some of the strengths of the Reds. The first player he named was starting pitcher Luis Castillo.
Castillo missed the first month of the season with a shoulder injury, and the Reds started the season with a 5-23 record. An inexperienced rotation posted the highest ERA in baseball, and the Reds struggled with most of their best players on the injured list.