That’s a nifty contract (with a no-trade clause, no less) for a guy who will be 35 next season.
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He will receive a $2 million signing bonus up front, then will be paid $10 million in salary during the 2016 season. He will make $16 million, $16 million and $12 million the final three years of the deal.
Despite having a poor season at the plate – Castro’s nERD was -0.98, meaning over a 27-out game, a lineup consisting of just Castros would have scored -0.98 runs per game fewer than a league average team – there are reasons for the Yankees to be excited about their new infielder. It had been reported earlier in the day that signing Zobrist would mean the Cubs needed to have a deal in place for Castro, the last remaining player to play for the pre-Theo Epstein Cubs.
The Cubs received Adam Warren in the trade. “I got a front-row seat to watch it happen to my teammates – in their hearts and in my own – as we made the journey in the postseason and won those critical, (tough) games where you’re coming back from being down”. “I wanted to play for this team, wanted to play for Joe Maddon again, and I want to win a championship as a Chicago Cub”.
“He’s all about winning”.
In 59 regular-season games for Kansas City, Zobrist hit. The 25-year old is a three-time All-Star, and batted a. 265 with 11 home runs last season, producing his worst career hitting stats. He posted a 7-7 record to go along with a 3.29 ERA across 131.1 innings.
If I had to choose a favorite memory, though, it would probably be the two-homer game against the Cardinals in September this season.
The Illinois native said his decision to join the Cubs over the Mets, Nationals and other clubs took due diligence, but he wasn’t set to sign until the Cubs traded Starlin Castro to the Yankees to clear up an everyday spot at second base.
As I kept refreshing my phone to check for the official news on the Cubs and Ben Zobrist, I thought about the inevitable end that it would bring to the Starlin Castro era on the north side of Chicago.
NY was looking at a platoon of 24-year-old Rob Refsnyder and Dustin Ackley as next year’s second base arrangement, but the addition of Castro makes the situation much clearer. Assuming that he will replace Castro at 2nd base, I will also assume this solidifies the move of Javier Baez to Center and leaves Jorge Soler and Kyle Schwarber in the corners.
“We asked him to be patient and said that we couldn’t act right away but that we had a lot of interest and if the right corresponding move came our way, we could get involved quickly”.
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And starter Shelby Miller was dealt from Atlanta to Arizona for a package that included this year’s first overall pick, shortstop Dansby Swanson. The Braves also will receive outfielder Ender Inciarte and pitching prospect Aaron Blair, while the Diamondbacks will also receive a minor-league player, according to Stark.
