Mariners acquire pitcher Castillo from the Reds

The Seattle Mariners acquired the top starting pitcher on the trade market Friday night, getting All-Star Luis Castillo from the payroll-paring Cincinnati Reds for four minor league prospects.

Cincinnati obtained infielders Noelvi Marte and Edwin Arroyo, and right-handers Levi Stoudt and Andrew Moore. Marte was the Mariners’ top-rated prospect, Arroyo was third and Stoudt fifth. METS ACQUIRE NAQUIN » Tyler Naquin went to the first-place New York Mets from the lastplace Cincinnati Reds and was on the bench for Friday night’s series opener at Miami. New York acquired the left-handed-hitting outfielder and lefty reliever Phillip Diehl on Thursday night in a deal for two teenage minor leaguers, outfielder Hector Rodríguez and right-hander Jose Acuña. Naquin, a first-round draft pick 10 years ago, was batting .246 with seven homers and 33 RBIs in 56 games for the Reds.

MANFRED TO SENATORS: ANTITRUST EXEMPTION STOPS CITY SWITCHES » Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred told a Senate committee planning a hearing on the sport’s antitrust exemption that it prevents teams from moving without approval and allows the sport to maintain the minor leagues at a wide level. In addition, Manfred said many terms of minor leaguers’ employment are determined by the Major League Baseball Players Association’s collective bargaining agreement with MLB. Manfred said “The baseball antitrust exemption has meaningfully improved the lives of minor league players, including their terms and conditions of employment, and has enabled the operators of minor league affiliates to offer professional baseball in certain communities that otherwise could not economically support a professional baseball team.” He also said the exemption was responsible for MLB franchise location stability. Only one MLB team has changed cities since 1972.