Chicago Cubs’ Starlin Castro Could Be Odd Man Out
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The Chicago Cubs recently made a move that not many people probably thought anything of. Their deal with the Atlanta Braves may be a precursor to future deals the team is going to try to pull off.
In the deal, the Cubs sent flamethrower Arodys Vizcaino back to Atlanta, along with international signing slots No. 2, 3 and 4, in exchange for infielder Tommy La Stella and international signing spot No. 4. La Stella batted .251 with one home run in 360 major-league plate appearances last year. He was also the Braves’ No. 7 overall prospect heading into last season. However, acquiring La Stella wasn’t the big story here. Pushing an infielder onto the trade block was.
All signs point to that infielder being three-time All-Star Starlin Castro. If he is dealt, however, it would have to be for top-end pitching.
Even if they get a pitcher like Cole Hamels or Jordan Zimmermann in a deal with Castro, it might not be worth it. That’s because Castro is signed to an extremely team-friendly deal that only owes him $43 million over the next five seasons with a $16 million team option remaining on a sixth year.
Any team trading for Castro would get six years of team control on one of the best young shortstops in the game. That means his value should be through the roof. Unless the Cubs can get an incredible return for their shortstop, it doesn’t make much sense to trade him. Nonetheless, the team appears ready to dump one of their infielders to add pitching.
While this is a perplexing situation, having too much talent in the infield is a problem the Cubs are surely happy to have.
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