Just a game behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central division, the Cubs also had a rather unextraordinary deadline, but certainly a busier one. Compared to the Brewers, most teams did.
To recap: from Washington, the Cubs added starting pitcher Michael Soroka. From Pittsburgh, they got reliever Taylor Rogers, as well as Baltimore’s Andrew Kittredge. They also added Twins utility man Willi Castro.
While the Rogers deal was an overpay, the rest were fair or plus-side exchanges, at least according to Baseball Trade Values’ model. In Castro specifically, a guy who can play all over while providing pop, Chicago added a piece it would have behooved the Brewers to secure for themselves.
Cubs steal would-be A-grade cog for Milwaukee Brewers
Between the two division rivals, Milwaukee arguably added the best reliever of the bunch in Arizona’s Shelby Miller, although he is currently injured and headed for rehab.
What the Brewers didn’t add was any real form of offense. Already leading MLB in runs per game and ranked third in OPS, the Cubs certainly didn’t snatch a masher, but Castro will do good things for the bench. He would help Milwaukee even more.
In Minnesota this season, Castro hit .245/.337/.407 with 10 homeruns in 86 games. He also hit 15 doubles and stole nine bases. Playing his best in left field, the Puerto Rican native has also seen time in right as well as at second, third, and short. He’s barely played center this season, but saw regular innings there from 2022-24. Versatility will help get him at bats even in a stacked lineup like Chicago’s.
He could very well play near every day in Milwaukee after Jackson Chourio’s injury. The caveat with Castro is that, despite his positional flexibility, he’s actually a poor defender everywhere except in left. Whether that would matter much for the Brewers is up for debate.
They would not need him much at second or third, where Brice Turang and Caleb Durbin have every day roles. It would be nice if had a good glove at shortstop, enabling him to spot Joey Ortiz, but he doesn’t. While Castro could fill in on the infield – and certainly that isn’t something to undervalue – he would likely get most of his at bats as an outfielder. That would be the case at least in the short term, while Chourio recovers from a strained hamstring.
Brew Crew could have used Castro’s chameleon powers
His defensive issues notwithstanding, Castro brings the blend of speed and plate discipline the Brewers live by in addition to supplying occasional thump. The front office clearly did not want to spend big (no Eugenio Suarez, no Ryan O’Hearn), but Castro was a more conservative option while providing flexibility when Chourio and Rhys Hoskins return. He would not fade from the rotation because he can only man one or two positions or would require substantial reshuffling to accommodate his place in the lineup.
On a team that really likes what rookies Durbin and Isaac Collins have done, in an order that lacks glaring weaknesses except at shortstop and, now, that final outfield spot, Castro would fit in without causing disruption. He would immediately become the roster’s most useful best bench player not named Danny Jansen, the power-hitting backup catcher acquired from the Rays.
Like Suarez and O’Hearn, Castro will be a free agent this offseason. To get him, the Cubs sacrificed a pair of pitching prospects. One now ranks 16th in Minnesota’s system; the other falls outside the top 30. The Cubs will pay Castro $2 million in salary the rest of the way.
Did Castro cost something? Sure. Was it exorbitant? Hardly. It’s difficult to get without giving. No sense crying over spilt milk, or so the saying goes, but reviewing Castro’s potential fit and overall profile strongly suggests that the Brewers lost out to the betterment of their biggest foes.
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