Brian Cashman mentioned that the Yankees still don’t feel complete, and while he voiced confidence in what they have in-house for the infield, he still mentioned having eyes on the marketplace. They’re being patient with an infield market that could begin to move even more after the last two weeks have brought about a ton of free-agent action.
Ha-Seong Kim signed with the Tampa Bay Rays, Jorge Polanco returned to the Seattle Mariners, and now Yoan Moncada has landed in Anaheim to play with the Angels on a one-year deal. The Minnesota Twins could be one of the teams parting ways with an infielder after adding Harrison Bader and Danny Coulombe.
Dan Hayes of the Athletic reported the team wanted to spend around $5-6 million this winter, but this week alone the Twins have spent $9.25 million. With their eyes focused on a veteran infielder like Paul DeJong or Luis Urias, perhaps the Yankees are able to free up some funds for the Twins by trading for Willi Castro.
A versatile switch-hitter who could kick Jazz Chisholm out to second and deepen the lineup, Castro might be a perfect fit for Yankee Stadium.
Willi Castro Could Move Soon, Yankees Have a Golden Chance to Finish Offseason
An agile hitter with good baserunning instincts and a strong glove on the dirt, Willi Castro fits into what the Yankees are hoping to be in 2025. They’ve made improvements to an already solid defensive team by replacing their worst defenders with strong ones, and on the bases, it should be a night-and-day difference as well. ZiPS projects the Yankees for 144 stolen bases this season, which would have tied the Red Sox for the seventh-most in MLB last season.
Castro swiped just 14 bases in 23 attempts this past season, but in 2023 he swiped 33 in 38 attempts and has a positive BsR in his career. At third base, his strong arm plays very well, and he moves well to his glove side, which has allowed him to be a positive defender in his 400 innings of work there. The addition of someone like Willi Castro would further improve their defense and baserunning, and that’s something they’ll need to excel at to offset the loss of Juan Soto.
Last year was Willi Castro’s second-straight year posting a 108 wRC+, and his power might play better at Yankee Stadium, as he would have hit 17 home runs instead of 12 had he played all of his home games in the Bronx.
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Overlaying his spray chart from last season over Yankee Stadium, it doesn’t take a wild imagination to see why his swing would play well here. As a switch-hitter, Castro has better numbers from his left-handed side, and that’s valuable considering the plethora of cheap right-handed infielders available on the market. If the Yankees pulled off a deal with the Twins for Castro, I would like to see a split deal for someone with a struggling market like Luis Urias or Brendan Rodgers.
Luis Urias (118) and Brendan Rodgers (120) have excellent wRC+ numbers against left-handed pitching in their careers and can play multiple spots in the infield. Both are under the age of 30, and they would have a chance to compete with DJ LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera, and Oswald Peraza for a spot on the roster.
The Yankees should not just hand a bench job to either LeMahieu or Peraza, who have not been very effective at the big-league level over the past two seasons. A report from Eric Hubbs of Barstool Sports detailed the role veterans on the Yankees played in keeping the organization from DFA’ing DJ LeMahieu last September. If the organization was willing to cut him then, they should bring in someone to compete with him now.
With Willi Castro having a 113 wRC+ and 121 wRC+ in the past two seasons against RHP, this could result in the Yankees having stable production at the plate regardless of who is on the mound. The bench was a real problem last season, as they lacked a go-to bat off the bench who could come in for a big at-bat, especially against LHP. Luis Urias or Brendan Rodgers could come in for Willi Castro or even Austin Wells if needed, and that’s a difference-maker in October.
Perhaps one of those two would have cashed in when Alex Vesia threw a mistake pitch in Game 2 of the World Series, a fastball over the heart of the plate that Jose Trevino just barely missed. Winning on the margins can be vital in the postseason, and Willi Castro’s versatility opens the door for some interesting lineup configurations. The Yankees would have to part ways with something of note to acquire a year of Castro though, who should have multiple suitors.
The Twins already have a strong bullpen loaded with some fun arms, but if the Yankees offer them a prospect like Brock Selvidge, perhaps that entices them into making a move. New York would also relieve them of $6.4 million of salary, and given that Caleb Durbin is by far the best prospect the team has traded this winter, they have room to deal from their farm system.
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Over the past two seasons, Willi Castro has combined for between 4-5 WAR depending on whether you use FanGraphs or Baseball-Reference, but his consistent offensive production against RHP makes him valuable. Furthermore, he could be more valuable to a team playing him at just one position rather than multiple, as Castro seems to be better in the infield than he is in the outfield.
The Yankees could help Castro pull some more of his flyballs from the left-handed side to take advantage of that short porch or just hope he puts up the numbers he has over the past two seasons. If they could get a 105 wRC+, good defense at third base, and ~20 steals, they’ll be very happy with Willi Castro, and that’s not an unreasonable outcome.