Chicago Cubs Opinion: Four reasons Starlin Castro isn’t going anywhere

His Contract

Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

When the Cubs signed Castro to the seven-year deal, they knew exactly what they were getting. A young talent coming off two All-Star appearances who had shown an ability to put the ball in play. The deal is team-friendly, as is Anthony Rizzo‘s. The idea was to lock the two young stars up before they would demand a higher price that would come with success. It appears to be working with Rizzo. The jury is still out on Castro.

His deal escalates–as most do these days–as he’ll make $6 million this season, $7 million next year, and $9 million in 2016. In 2017, he’ll be at $10 million. And there are still two years after that. The Cubs got a bargain and trading him now would do them no good. With the deal he’s inked to, it’s beneficial to let him work to improve as they aren’t on the hook for a ridiculous amount of money.

As we creep toward 2017 though if things haven’t improved for Castro, then you could be looking at a different scenario. The defense was never a concern. Just as I’ve heard with questions about Kyle Schwarber‘s ability to catch–you become a better fielder with every line drive you hit. People thought the same about Castro until he stopped hitting them.

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