“That’s a tough moment, this guy’s an All-Star player that all of a sudden you take him and shift him during the middle of the season, he easily could have made a fuss about it. He did not make that fuss”.
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The Cubs traded Castro to the New York Yankees in exchange for pitcher Adam Warren and a player to be named later, the Yankees announced Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015.
Lackey, Cubs finalize deal • Free-agent righthander John Lackey, a former Cardinal, and the Chicago Cubs finalized a $32 million, two-year contract. With the possible exception of Baez, who I believe will be a Golden Glove defender, this is not a defensive upgrade, but… what pitcher is going to want ot face that batting lineup?
The second day of the Major League Baseball winter meetings ended with a bang Tuesday, with several moves closing out the night and even more rumors setting up what expects to be an exciting Day 3. Nevertheless, the team will be more than happy with him performing along his career averages (.281/.321/.404 career slash line and double digit homeruns in every year except his rookie season). He was the lone bright spot on a team created to lose 100 games a season. 265 with 11 homers and 69 RBIs last season, when he batted.
To acquire the three-time All Star, the Yankees didn’t have to pay too much, parting ways with a swingman in Warren and backup infielder in Ryan. The 25-year-old hits right-handed, which is another Yankees need, as the team struggled against left-handed pitching last season. Yankees scouts thought Castro could make the transition to second, which was confirmed when Chicago pushed him to that position to make room for Addison Russell at short.
Castro’s career with the Cubs will be remembered for several things.
RULING CLASS: For the second straight year, the Rays may have the first player taken in the Rule 5 draft of minor-leaguers not on 40-man rosters. On top of that, Castro was substantially better both offensively and defensively after moving to second base, posting his best defensive numbers in three years after the switch. 303 with an. 880 OPS during 16 playoff games, and hope he can lead by example and become a calming, professional influence on a young team that will absolutely have a target on its back in 2016. “He’s an athletic kid, a first-class kid and I think he’ll fit in great”.
Zobrist developed a reputation as one of the best versatile players in the game thanks to Maddon’s creative use of him. This offseason, we have already seen them add Aaron Hicks and now Starlin Castro to the fold. They planned to use Zobrist as the primary replacement for Daniel Murphy at second base. “Most of the free agent offers we’ve made have been tied to making trades that complement the signing”.
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Multiple people familiar with the negotiations said Zobrist picked the Cubs not for financial reasons, but because of his relationship with Maddon and because he wanted to play closer to his Nashville home. Zobrist is now expected to be a key cog in helping the Cubs reach the same heights.
