Should the Cubs be concerned about Starlin Castro?

The Cubs Starlin Castro was once again in the thick of an incident that left police looking to question the young shortstop. Is this a developing pattern the Cubs should be worried about? What’s certain is it can’t be ignored.

For the second time in less than a month, the Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro was questioned by police regarding a shooting at a nightclub in the Dominican. Just earlier this month, Castro and Texas Rangers prospect Engel Beltre were sought for questioning after a shootout at a nightclub. The initial report went as far as to say one of the players was “visible on security footage carrying a firearm.” Castro was later cleared of any involvement.

This is just another incident for the young Castro in an off-season. In 2012, Castro was accused of sexual assault at his Chicago home in the fall. The prosecutor decided not to press charges after an “exhaustive review”.While he came away unscathed in each incident, a disturbing pattern is beginning to develop. How many times can a person be in “the wrong place at the wrong time”? As many times as you put yourself there.

The Cubs organization has been relatively quiet about the two most recent matters, only saying they were disappointed his name was involved again. In time they may release a more lengthy statement, but Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer cannot be happy with the events. This isn’t to say Castro is a bad person, or was involved. But he continues to put himself in bad situations, and eventually he may not be so lucky.

As a fan, it’s not that hard to believe that it’s just poor judgement on his part. Let’s be honest, we’ve watched that kind of behavior on the baseball field at times over the last four years. Sometimes it appears that Castro simply doesn’t have his head in the game. So it’s not far-fetched to believe that’s the case here. So what do the Cubs do?

You have an established young player, with a team-friendly deal. He’s a three-time All-Star and was considered a core piece of the future. Javier Baez and Addison Russell don’t make Castro expendable. Baez struggled initially, as we wait to see what adjustments he makes this season. And Russell is nothing more than a prospect. Castro has established himself. So you can’t just deal him because of your “depth”.

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The Cubs are in a position where they can simply sit back and wait to hear a “perfect offer” on Castro. No need to shop him, or even say he’s available. But these “unfortunate incidents” will have some teams, including possibly the Cubs, questioning his judgement. And should the desire to trade him actually arise, other teams can spin this as “a question of character” to gain an upper hand in negotiations.

So what do the Cubs do? Do they consider trading Castro? Is this a pattern that’s going to continue? Maybe they simply need to sit Castro down and give him a little guidance. Maybe remind him that Russell is on his way, and Baez is a shortstop too. But in my opinion, while Castro once again avoided trouble the Cubs need to take this very seriously. It’s not chance these things keep happening, and they need to get it under control as soon as possible.

Next: The Cubs have options at closer next year