The Cubs are aggressively shopping shortstop Starlin Castro, reports Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. Chicago is “trying to include” him in “any deal” with other clubs, per the report.
Chicago has long been rumored to be considering a move involving the up-and-down 25-year-old infielder. Castro was told yesterday by manager Joe Maddon that he did not need to worry about being dealt, but as Bruce Levine of CBSChicago.com reported, it was never clear that Maddon’s words were meant as any kind of assurance going forward.
It has previously been reported that the Cubs discussed Castro with teams like the Phillies and, more recently, the Padres. Chicago is reportedly looking hard at adding pitching, with at least some interest in more controllable pieces (such as Tyson Ross), though it’s unclear at present where the team is most focused in its efforts to strike a deal.
It’s also somewhat hard to read how other teams will value the still-young, up-the-middle player. At times, his contract — which has four years and $38MM left after this year (plus an option) — has looked like an asset. But now that he’s in the midst of a second disappointing campaign in the last three years (.237/.271/.305 over 406 plate appearances in 2015), that deal looks more like a reasonable risk than a great value.
dodgers seem perfectly willing to take over unwanted contracts.
If the pieces accompanying it are worth it. Got some young trade chips worth sending over? Yes please.
Mets
I think that ship has long sailed. If anything were to happen it would have a long time ago. Mets are looking for offense, and Castro hasn’t provided that this year.
As long as the Cubs stop asking for Syndergaard, I think they can get a deal done.
once Alderson sees Castro has toe fungus he will back out of the trade
I’d take Wheeler at this point…
For Castro? Seriously? Cubs fans are mostly pretty level headed, but they seem to have a blind spot for Castro, who has significant negative value now. He would only be a throw in that another team has to take on a bigger deal, or else the Cubs pay him to play somewhere else. Not sure he’s an upgrade on Clint Barmes in SD, even.
Just a joke because Wheeler’s injured and out for the season.
Overreact much…?
If Castro’s hitting and Wheeler is not recovering from TJ, it’s a pretty fair trade.
The Cubs would need to include a prospect if they wanted the Mets to even cover part of the salary. At this point, Castro has negative trade value, not positive.
So you would think they would do Matz for Castro? As a Cubs fan I would say yes to that. Gives them a young controllable high upside pitcher
Matz for Castro? LMAO.. I doubt they would do Colon or Gee for Castro
After the first month of the year, the offers were castro for degrom.. So I think for matz it could get done if the cubs threw in a decent prospect.. Maybe one ranked 8 to 15 in their farm system
Tejada has been better, has a much lower salary with no commitment, and will not cost you any prospects.
Both Mets’ shortstops are outperforming Castro by a lot. It’s not even close.
I hope they can move Castro’s contract and package him with a couple prospects for someone like Ross. With Baez mashing again I feel it’s time to see what the kids can do around the IF with Bryant, Russell, Baez and Rizzo all in the same lineup.
Baez played second last August for the Cubs until Castro got hurt and then he finished at SS
I’m not sure what your point is. Obviously Baez would come up to play 2B. Correct?
i meant to reply to the comment just below but hit the wrong button….his question was can Baez play 2B?
Can he play 2nd
If someone can play short, they should be able to play 2nd too.
Castro’s value is similar to Matt Harrison’s. He’s a guy that could be included in a bigger deal to off-set some salary. Any value past that point is minimal.
Castro is way more valuable than Harrison. Harrison’s value is gone because of injury, and his velo has dropped like 6 MPH over the last 3 years.
Castro is just having a bad year, he could very possibly rebound.
I said similar – not exactly the same – because they’re both high-risk players whose value is only tied to being used as off-setting contracts. Just as Harrison was used to off-set some of Hamels’ money last night, that’s how the Cubs can expect Castro will be used.
Teams don’t care that he has the potential to bounce back. They’ve seen him bounce back from bad years before only to revert back to being a sub-replacement level player. Do you want to pay $10 million for a guy with a .270 OBP? Neither does anyone else. So here’s the rundown w/ Castro…
There are three ways to get value from trading a player… 1) You acquire talented players in return. 2) You dump salary. 3) You off-set the incoming salary obligations. Well, no one is offering anything resembling a talented player for Castro because he’s too big a risk w/ his play on the field. No one is taking on his contract w/o the Cubs throwing a ton of money into the deal. And that leaves us with the salary off-set option… It’s the only way to get value for the guy given his play in 2 of the past 3 years.
This is not his only bad year. He’s pretty much replacement level thrown in at this point, unlikely to change.
I would be fine with Cubs getting Ross or Cashner. They are sure to throw enough money to get one of Greinke, Price, Cueto, or Zimmerman next year. That would shore up their rotation for the foreseeable future
Cashner is a free agent after the year
Cashner still has one year to go until he’s a free agent
Thanks for that. I forgot to look him up. Definitely would like Ross over Cashner then but I don’t know if Pads trade him for just Castro
Castro is worthless.. The Cubs will get nobody for him unless the other team is dumping a big contract.. Why do some Cubs fans continue to think he is worth what he was at the end of last year? He is not..
Cashner cannot become a free agent until after 2016
No, he’s controllable through next season.
Julio Teheran, Jonny Gomes, Chris Johnson and Eric Young Jr. for Starlin Castro and Bryan Hudson.
Hudson would have to be a PTBNL, since he can’t be traded until a year from the day he was drafted.
Probably irrelevant, though. No way are the Cubs taking on $44 million in bad salaries after this year (Johnson & Teheran) to get rid of $41 million in bad salaries (Castro)
You think this is unlikely because the Cubs won’t want to take on an additional $3 mil in contracts? I agree that this proposal is unlikely – in fact, I took it as a joke – but not for the reasons you listed…
I’m not saying that the Cubs wouldn’t take on $3 million in salary. I’m saying in a trade like the one trademeister proposes, where the only value at all they get back is Teheran (who is probably getting paid way more than his value over the course of the contract), the only plausible reason the Cubs would do the deal is to dump Castro’s salary. But this trade isn’t a salary dump, they take on salary.
Teheran is a bad salary? Unlike Castro, he IS actually just having a bad year.
I love Teheran. But just remember – in 2013, Castro was just having a ‘bad season’ after posting really good numbers for 2 1/2 years. Heck, he even had a really 2014 season that made 2013 seem like an outlier. And then this year happened…
I mean, I’m no sabrmatrician–Epstein can do his own math–but I doubt that Teheran’s expected value over the course of his contract comes close to what he’s set to get paid.
“…since he can’t be traded until a year from the day he was drafted.” That rule has been changed, iirc. It’s now allowable after the World Series that follows the draft.
Um, where is Castro going to play?
Why stop there? Have them throw in Simmons, Freeman, and Peraza while you’re at it. SMH.
I miss the like button..
thats an overpay for castro who makes too many errors and had his head in the clouds when playing
Castro is not enough at all to net the Cubs Ross. Just saying.
Correction: Julio Teheran, Jonny Gomes, Chris Johnson and Eric Young Jr. for Starlin Castro, Wilson Contreras and Bryan Hudson.
why would the Braves want Castro with Simmons and Peterson up the middle and why would the Cubs want Chris Johnson with Bryant and Rizzo on the corners?
These things happen.
Peterson is not the guy the Braves need at second. Flash in the pot. Castro born to be a brave.
Now you want the Cubs to give up yet another player to take on more salary for guys there’s no way they want. Huh???
Castro is a perfect “change of scenery” guy. Get him out of Chicago and into a less-stressful environment where he can have fun again. I seem to remember him looking much happier a few years back. I think somewhere like Philly or Tampa would be perfect for him.
Although I agree he is a change of scenery candidate, I feel like if you can’t have fun with Joe Maddon as your manager, it’ll be tough to have fun while playing for a losing team….
It’s not easy watching your batting average slowly drop as the team becomes a playoff contender for the first time since you showed up. They’ve finished 5th every year he’s been on the team.
Lou Pinella, Mike Quade, Dale Sveum, Rick Renteria, Joe Maddon, all in his first 6 seasons as an MLBr, I think this kid’s head has been swirling for a few years now and needs to find some stability. Ever since Epstein came took over its been a clearing house on all Hendry guys ‘cept Castro and Baez, they both know they don’t have long in the org. Tough situation for both of them. As I don’t think Epstein ever looked at them as anything more than future trade pieces he needed to have value.
That’s pretty remarkable. In under four years, Epstein has turned over the Cubs’ entire major league roster.
Tough to say that Epstein viewed Castro as nothing more than a trade piece from day 1. He could’ve traded him following the 2012 season if he felt that way. The club wasn’t going anywhere and Castro had a good season. Instead, he signed the guy to an extension…
he may be, but the Cubs would have to send cash and wouldn’t get much of a prospect in return.
One word, Gyorko.
Depending on Harang’s performance tonight, Harang & DeFratus for Castro, Phillies take on the entire salary – who says no?
The A’s will take him, Reddick for Baez and Castro.
The Padres need to stay far away from Castro.
Everyone does.
But the acquisition cost would be really cheap, and at least he’d have more potential then whoever they have there now (Amarista, Barmes, etc)
Clint Barmes is outperforming Castro by a loooot this year.
Do you really expect that to continue going forward, though? This wouldn’t be a move with 2015 in mind.
Yup. Preller, in the words of George Bluth, NO TOUCHING!
Good get him out of Chicago. Everyone wants him out anyway..they need a SP and relief help.. Go for Ross and kimbrel both are locked up for 2 and 4 years respectively. Kimbrel is getting a lot but it’s been a very long time since the cubs had a legit closer. Not just legit but good. Rondon isn’t bad and he’s better then rod beck kevin Gregg and Bob howry combined. Kerry Wood was pretty good in his short time as a closer.
If the Cubs could get Ross and Kimbrel for Castro we wouldn’t be reading this post.
Castro has very little value.
Castro’s value is to off-set incoming salary. If the Cubs can find the right mix of minor league guys to work a deal for Kimbrel and Ross, it would represent $18 million in added salary obligations for the 2016 season. It’s doubtful the Cubs would want to take back all that money so the idea would be to send Castro’s $9.5 million salary to SD to lessen that number.
Padres, don’t make a mistake by getting Castro. No need to make the defense even worse
Didn’t Maddon just tell him he’s not going anywhere?
I’m not a Castro fan but he still has value. He’s 25 and plays a premium position. He’s had more hits than any ss over the past 5 years. Yea he’s having a bad year. But you aren’t going to get a ss with his offensive upside at 25 for the contract he has. He’s perfect for buying low but I wouldn’t expect to get him for nothing especially if the cubs send cash
What is his upside though? Is it realistic? This is now 2 bad years out of 3 for Castro – he can’t live of his hit tool when that’s slipping too.
He doesn’t have great speed, power or D to fall back on. Plus, it doesn’t look like he’s going to learn how to take a walk consistently to offset his poor hitting.
Hardy for Castro straight up?
You created a trade that makes no sense fir either team.
i would assume they want to bring up Baez to play second and move Russle to short, so they are looking for pitching or leftfield.
phils could take Castro off your hands for the mere price of Ben Revere.
Yep, Addison Russell should be our SS, and Baez & LaStella can fight it out for 2B.
Cubs need a starter and a closer would be ideal, but not at a premium price. Hector Rondon has proven more than capable. Joe Maddon had a quick hook on him early in the season after blowing a couple saves, but thankfully, he has already worked his way back into save opportunities and will likely have sole possesion of the closer role soon.
Really? I don’t follow the Cubs, but it looks like hitting’s a far bigger problem at the moment. Other than Bryant and Schwarber, none of the kids are really panning out so far.
…Rizzo has been pretty good, too – but that’s not the point. With very few exceptions, rookies struggle. Heck, even Bryant has mostly struggled recently. You just chalk that up to normal growing pains and let them play through it because that’s the only way they’ll get better. Because of that, the Cubs aren’t going to replace any of those rookies with a 2-month rental just for a chance at a WC berth. Doing so could stunt their development, which would bring about much bigger problems down the line.
That’s why you don’t hear much talk about the Cubs seeking a bat. It’s not because anyone has this delusional idea that they’ve been hitting, but more so because CF is the only position they’d be willing to upgrade at for 2 months. And w/ the exception of Gomez, is there really a CF available?
Revere for Castro with the Cubs eating some of Castro’s salary would make a ton of sense. They can stick Castro at 2B, have Crawford at SS, and Franco at 3B. Add Quinn in CF and the Phillies would start looking like a real baseball team soon.
As a ss, if Castro isn’t hitting he is fairly worthless. DRS at -7, his range is decreasing as we type. His mental mistakes are never-ending. His confidence is dropping like a rock playing for Joe Maddon? Red flags. If the Cubs were serious about winning this year he would have been removed from the everyday lineup some time ago. Castro’s value couldn’t be much lower.
Really, if the Cubs can get any useful starter- something better than we have for the 5th spot in the rotation- cut the cord and trade him. I think Castro will improve with a change of scenery, but the Cubs have guys that can outplay him and he knows it. Once Baez and LaStella are healthy and ready, Castro is just in the way.
Id like to see a Kimbrel and Ross/Cashner trade centered around Castro and some lower level prospects. Help the Pads shed salary, give them a SS, and some pieces to restock their farm after all those ill-advised trades Preller made.
Link. Castro is at his peak he’s not gonna get better anytime soon. Russell is in every way. Hitting range at as. He’ll have more power too. Baez is better too. Plus castro is as clutch as a wet paper bag.
Hitters are far from their peaks at 25, try again. His plate discipline may not improve much, but if nothing else, he should continue to develop more power.
When Starlin is right, he can fall out of bed and hit .300, so I have a hard time believing Castro is peaking right now…
He last hit .300 in 2011. He clearly hasn’t fallen out of bed properly in four years.
Wasn’t Castro billed as a 5 tool guy coming up through the minors?
No. He was actually viewed as a light-hitting, defensive-minded shortstop. Seriously, I wish I was making this up…
No not really. He’s never been very fast, although he did try stealing bases for a while. Power has never really been a big part of his game, either. And to be honest, he ‘s always been sort of an average defender. He’s capable of spectacular defensive plays, but also well known for lackadaisical play and mental errors.
I was doing PR for a SL team back in 2009 when Tennessee came to town. There was a play in one of the games where a ball took an absolutely wicked hop on Castro, and it hit off his glove (just missed hitting off his face) before bouncing in to the OF for an RBI single. After the game, Sandberg called me into his office because he wanted me to grab the Official Scorer so that he could discuss the Castro play… Said Sandberg, “It should’ve been an error. Castro makes that play 10 out of 10 times…” I looked him in the eye and said… “No. YOU make that play 10 out of 10 times. But you’re an 8-time gold glover. As for Castro, he’s just lucky that ball didn’t take off his head.”
A couple years later, I ran into Sandberg while he was managing with Lehigh Valley (I had moved on to handling the PR for an IL team.) By this time, the book was out on Castro’s defensive issues. So I went up to Sandberg, reminded him about that play from a few years earlier and asked if he wanted to amend his earlier praise of Castro’s defensive ability.
Ha, cool story.
Yeah Castro can make a diving play behind 2B , or chase a pop up into LF foul territory, but then he’ll clank a three-hopper right at him…
He has ADD… And I’m not saying that like it’s an insult. I really think he has ADD and would benefit from an adderall prescription.
Does Castro for James Shields make sense? Both are arguably overpaid, though Shields for a longer term, and the Padres could use a shortstop.
Shields’ value is lower than people even expect since the Padres backloaded his deal so heavily. He’s owed 63M from 2016-18
Castro is due $40 million over the next 4 years. Shields is due $63 million over next 3 years. This is a no-brainer trade for the Padres, but not so much the Cubs. As little value as Castro has – and trust me, I know it’s almost zilch – Shields has just as little value. The prospect of paying $21 mil per year for a guys 34, 35 and 36 year old seasons is terrifying when you realize that he’s having his worst year since 2010.
Worst year? You aren’t paying attention are you?
Makes sense to me, but Pads would have to eat significant money on that backloaded deal. Cubs almost signed him over the winter but SD upped their offer past where the Cubs were comfortable. He seems to already be showing signs of declining, so no way they trade their SS to take on a deal they refused to offer in the winter. If the Pads eat salary and kick in Kimbrel, sure. Im sure the Cubs would even throw in a prospect or two.
Go read what Padres FO and manager Murphy said over last few days. To trade Shields they would want another teams 3 or 4 top prospects. “The only way the organization would consider anything like that if it’s an A-1 deal with great prospects coming, the top three or four.”
Castro isn’t close to the Cubs 3-4 top prospects. He is the Cubs refuse. Lets take what Padres have consistently said about this at face value. It means Schwarber, Mckinney, Edwards, Almora. Or Baez, Schwarber, Mckinney, Edwards. Something like that. If the Cubs are stuck on moving Castro then its not happening with Padres.
When I have seen Castro at his best this season, he looks disinterested. When I have seen him at his worst, he looks absolutely lost. He has almost no value in any trade by himself, because any other team has to be scared to death to take him. Sure, he is incredibly talented, but either through his own fault, the Cubs’ fault, or a combination of the 2, he is a basket case.
The only way the Cubs are going to move him at this point is to package him with someone else. As a trade centerpiece, Castro won’t fetch enough return to make it worthwhile.
Castro is an enigma, for sure. His fans can point out all his hits and the fact he’s a 3x All-Star by 25. His detractors can point to his mediocre defense, mental lapses, and inconsistent hitting the last few years.
To move him in a deal, it will take a team that is interested in his talent and willing to bet on him being a change of scenery rebound player- which I can honestly see happening. For whatever reason, Castro has just not seemed comfortable in Chicago lately…maybe they were hard in him for all the off the field shenanigans he had been involved in during the offseasons.
For those who arent aware, Castro has been questioned and cleared in a couple DR shootings, and also had a woman cry rape against him in Chicago. Also, some former “manager” from the DR popped up saying Castro owed him money for a contract his dad signed years ago, and he tried to sue for millions- never went anywhere. Starlin was cleared in all instances and no charges were ever filed, but often where theres smoke, theres fire. And its rumored Theo and the front office strongly suggested Starlin stop going home to the Dominican during the offseason. Who knows, but Castro doesnt seem comfortable here.
Why would a selling team like Philadelphia or San Diego take on that salary? It does not make sense. He is a guy who will easily clear waivers in August, so today is not really the last day Castro could be moved, but after eating Edwin Jackson’s money how much more do they want to bite off for guys not to play for them.
I think the Cubs should be able to make a deal with the Padres for Ross and Kimbrel, they have the players. Castro, Baez, Edwards, and Almora should get it done.
The only sensible trade I could make up is Castro for Ziegler. But the Cubs would probably have to send some cash and a PTBNL. Castro would make it through August waivers easily but Ziegler wouldn’t.
Trade him to the Pirates for Tony Sanchez for him + cash
Mets would trade David Wright for Castro.
Castro has more value than most people think, he plays a premium position, and is only 25, and people are saying it’s his 2nd bad year out of 3 years, well if you look at his 1st bad year, he had absolutely no one around him, even Rizzo had a awful year.. This year it’s obvious that has probably feeling the pressure from russel, Baez and others, and then the rumors, it may just be getting to him, so if he was somewhere else where else without all that had be his normal self hitting .280-.310 and having a .340 OBP.. And last year and the start of this year you could see he is about to finally add the power element to his game, not major power but enough to hit 20 a year.. Of the cubs were to trade him in the first month this year they could easily of gotten degrom from the Mets lol.. So to say he has no value or negative value is 100% absurd.
How bout Castro for Ian Kennedy? Straight up, maybe Cubs kick in a lil cash. Cubs get 5th starter 4 rest of season and free up more cash 2 get a big name this off-season, plus no prospects gone. Padres take Castro without giving much up and see if a change of scenery help Castro. If Castro stays how he is, trade about even maybe slight advantage Cubs. But, if Castro can turn it back around, Padres get a steal. Thoughts?