Castro landed dead last on MLBTR’s rankings of the top 50 free agents this offseason, projecting a two-year contract worth $14 million as Castro enters his age-29 season. The multi-year pact reflects Castro’s extreme versatility as a player who has played every position except catcher during his seven Major League seasons. While Castro is an average defender at best, his ability to at least handle multiple spots around the diamond makes him a bit of a Swiss Army Knife type and a very useful guy to have on the bench.
As evidenced by his time with the Twins, Castro was also able to take on a more regular role in the event of injuries to a starting player. Castro hit .250/.335/.398 with 31 home runs and 56 steals (on 73 attempts) over 1,388 plate appearances in a Twins uniform, and he has nearly identical career splits as a switch-hitter.
Atlanta’s starting lineup is more or less set, aside from the question mark that is the shortstop position. The Braves have already picked up one utility player Mauricio Dubon was acquired from the Astros so that Dubon and Castro could each get action at shortstop, or both could be mixed and matched all over the diamond if circumstances warranted. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos has said his team prefers to rotate multiple players through the open DH spot so that Castro or Dubon can be deployed in the field when another regular player gets a DH day. There has been speculation about that Ozzie Albies could be a trade chip this winter, so it’s possible that more playing time could open up at the Braves’ second base position.
The Pirates’ position player mix is a lot less stable, so Castro could potentially be used anywhere in the infield in timeshares with one of the Nick Gonzales, Nick Yorkeor Jared Triolo. If Castro can get his bat back to the slightly above-average production level he showed in Minnesota, it will count as an upgrade for a Bucs team in desperate need of offensive help. Because Castro can be moved all over the diamond, his acquisition also wouldn’t stop Pittsburgh from looking for more bats at virtually every position. At something in the neighborhood of $14 million, Castro is also cheap enough that even a cost-conscious team like the Pirates could afford a contract.
Colorado basically needs help all around after a 119-season loss disaster. Ezequiel Tovar is the starting shortstop, but Castro could be seen as an everyday option at any of the other three infield positions, with second or third base probably more likely than regular duty at first base. Installing Castro into the outfield mix could also make the Rockies more open to trading with their current crop of outfielders.
Even if Castro is signed to a multi-year contract, the Rockies could try to make him a contender at the trade deadline to land a few prospects, as Minnesota did last summer. The same deadline flip tactic could potentially be employed by the Braves or Pirates as well, although these two teams have much higher hopes of competing in 2026 than the Rockies.
#Braves #Pirates #Rockies #interested #Willi #Castro