Chicago Cubs: Can Starlin Castro be reborn on the North Side?

A former Chicago Cubs cornerstone, Starlin Castro fell out of favor with fans. But now, those same fans are seeking a reunion, of sorts, with the veteran infielder.

Starlin Castro was once the next up-and-coming Chicago Cubs star on the North Side before Theo Epstein took over and revamped the system with first-round draft picks. He was a sometimes maligned, but mostly productive player who fell victim to guys like Javier Baez and Addison Russell.

Now that some of the younger guys haven’t panned out in the way that we had hoped, perhaps it’s time to take another look at bringing Castro back into the fold where he belongs.

Sometimes it feels like Starlin Castro got the short end of the stick on his way out of Chicago. I know I felt bad for him when we won it all in 2016 and he was no longer around. It’s a shame he wasn’t part of it; but you know what- why not turn this around and return to the 2019 Cubs, giving him another chance to win it all.

Chicago Cubs: Still young, Castro could bring value

Starlin Castro is 28 years old, has nearly 1,500 career hits and was once the best player on a rebuilding Cubs franchise. The fact that it seems like a lifetime ago is probably not lost on Castro any more than it is with fans.

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Since being traded to the Yankees after the 2015 season for Adam Warren and Brendan Ryan, Starlin had two somewhat productive years in the Bronx. Then, the Yankees flipped him to the Marlins in the Giancarlo Stanton deal. He spent last year languishing on a team that dumped just about every other recognizable piece of Major League talent. Now, Castro is, once again, caught in the throes of a full rebuild.

That being said, he is under contract with the Miami Marlins for 2019 for $11 million. His contract includes a club option in 2020 at $16 million. Should the club not exercise said option, it would result in a $1 million buyout.  That would essentially make the cost for Starlin Castro $12 million for one year, or $27 million for two years, both somewhat palatable options that would enable the Cubs to hedge their bets in the short-term.

The one or two years of certainty would make it possible for Chicago to feel secure about second base (and a backup shortstop), but not be locked into a long-term deal. Adding Castro would essentially buy the Cubs a year with a guy who is a decent defensively, is a productive hitter and is familiar with many of the current players.

It would also allow Anthony Rizzo to do some more clapping, as Starlin’s warm up song, Ando En La Versace, seemed to help galvanize the Cubs in brotherhood, fun, and baseball in 2015. (Maybe they could even bring back Jason Motte for some top-step tomfoolery?)

Chicago Cubs: What are the Cubs’ other options?

What are your other options at second base? Are any of them going to sign a one or two-year deal? Will any of them already have a tie to Joe Maddon or the clubhouse? Will any of them put up good offensive numbers or play solid defense?

With Starlin Castro, you’re almost certainly going to get a guy who hits about .280, hits 15 to 20 home runs, drives in 60 to 70 runs and gets on base in the low-.300s.  While he doesn’t necessarily fit the profile for working at-bats, walking and hitting for power that most of the Cubs seem to fit in.

Maybe it would be a good thing to have a higher contact guy in the midst of a bunch of guys who see a ton of pitches. (Although, Castro did post a 7.4 percent walk rate last season, by far his best as a pro). He also possesses the ability to hit just about any pitcher at any velocity and has also been durable in his Major League career, logging at least 473 PA in every one of his nine years since being called up by the Cubs in 2010.

In Castro, you also have a guy Maddon would feel comfortable with. He could let him play short on days when Baez needs a day off or have him take a seat when the situation calls for a Ben Zobrist, Tommy LaStella, Ian Happ or even David Bote to play second.

If there’s one thing the Cubs skipper covets, it’s flexibility. Castro affords him that and won’t be an issue if he gets 400 at-bats versus 600 at-bats.  A player on a one-year free agent deal trying to build back his stock (a DJ LeMahieu type, for instance, if he doesn’t get a long-term deal) is going to want to play 150 games and get his 600 ABs, if possible, and could become a bit of an issue if Maddon is looking for versatility.

Chicago Cubs: Team has other needs to address this winter

The other benefit to getting Castro for basically nothing in terms of prospects is that it might allow you to use guys like David Bote, Victor Caratini, Ian Happ Albert Almora, or more highly-touted chips in a trade to bolster the pitching staff.

Chicago wouldn’t have to give up more than a lottery ticket type prospect to get their former standout out of Miami, allowing us plenty of other pieces to dangle in the offseason or for midseason acquisitions.

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Maybe I’m feeling a bit nostalgic. Maybe I feel bad about the fact that Starlin lost his position and his job to a guy who has sat out and will be sitting out part of the 2019 season because of a domestic abuse scandal. Perhaps, I just think the guy could help us for a year or two and be a pragmatic and logical fit given what we have currently.

In his career, Castro has proven he can hit anyone and he has been remarkably consistent despite the bad taste he probably left in some Cubs fans’ mouths from the first half of 2015 where it seemed like he did nothing but ground out weakly to the left side.

I also keep thinking about the way in which he responded to losing his position and job, how hard he worked instead of sulking, and how good he was down the stretch that year. The guy could have buried his head in the sand and told Maddon to pound sand, but he kept his head down, got better and really helped the Cubs in the magical beginning of their run.

While Starlin Castro is probably not going to be an MVP candidate next season, he will most likely be a solid 2.0 to 3.0 WAR player who plays a solid second base and doesn’t break the bank with a huge contract.

Why not use a still young and useful player from our past as a player to bridge to our future, giving him an opportunity to finish what he helped begin in the early 2010s? While some might say that could also be DJ LeMahieu, Castro might be a younger, cheaper option that gives us more flexibility and might even produce some happy vibes in our clubhouse upon coming home.