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New York Yankees acquire Starlin Castro from Chicago Cubs
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The New York Yankees have acquired Starlin Castro from the Chicago Cubs to be their new second baseman. The Yankees will send pitcher Adam Warren and a player to be named later to the Cubs.
Second baseman Brendan Ryan is the player to be named, according to ESPN sources and multiple reports.
Castro, a three-time All-Star, fits the Yankees' goal of becoming younger and more athletic. The 25-year-old hits right-handed, which is another Yankees need, as the team struggled against left-handed pitching last season. The Yankees also like that Castro can back up at shortstop and third base when he's not starting at second.
"It kind of checks off a lot of the boxes," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said.
Cashman tried to deal for Castro at the trade deadline, even before the Cubs moved him from shortstop to second base. 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.
In 2015, Castro hit .265 with a .671 OPS. He is owed $38 million over the next four seasons and has a team option for $16 million in 2020. He will be teamed with shortstop Didi Gregorius to form a young, potentially dynamic core in the Yankees' infield. The Yankees felt confident that Castro could fit in in the Bronx because Jim Hendry, who was GM of the Cubs when they signed Castro, is now a special assistant to Cashman.
"Offensively, we all think his better days are ahead of him," Hendry said.
The Yankees had played up the idea of using prospect Robert Refsnyder and veteran Dustin Ackley at second. However, both are considered defensively challenged, though Refsnyder has potential upside as a hitter. Refsnyder, a rookie last season, did well enough that by the end of the campaign, he was the starting second baseman against lefties. He began the wild-card game at second against the Houston Astros' Dallas Keuchel. Refsnyder turns 25 in March.
"At the very least, it is nice to have insurance at Triple-A," Cashman said. "At the very most, he will try to push himself into the mix somehow."
Fox Sports first tweeted about the trade talks between the Yankees and Cubs on Tuesday.
The Yankees have continually said this winter that they will not be in the big-money free-agent market and the trade market is where they will look to improve.
Castro also gives the Yankees a backup to Gregorius, as he began his career as a shortstop.
Warren shuttled back and forth between being a starter and a reliever with the Yankees. He was dependable, but the Yankees never fully trusted him as a starter. He finished last season 7-7 with a 3.29 ERA.
Second baseman Brendan Ryan is the player to be named, according to ESPN sources and multiple reports.
Castro, a three-time All-Star, fits the Yankees' goal of becoming younger and more athletic. The 25-year-old hits right-handed, which is another Yankees need, as the team struggled against left-handed pitching last season. The Yankees also like that Castro can back up at shortstop and third base when he's not starting at second.
"It kind of checks off a lot of the boxes," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said.
Cashman tried to deal for Castro at the trade deadline, even before the Cubs moved him from shortstop to second base. 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.
In 2015, Castro hit .265 with a .671 OPS. He is owed $38 million over the next four seasons and has a team option for $16 million in 2020. He will be teamed with shortstop Didi Gregorius to form a young, potentially dynamic core in the Yankees' infield. The Yankees felt confident that Castro could fit in in the Bronx because Jim Hendry, who was GM of the Cubs when they signed Castro, is now a special assistant to Cashman.
"Offensively, we all think his better days are ahead of him," Hendry said.
The Yankees had played up the idea of using prospect Robert Refsnyder and veteran Dustin Ackley at second. However, both are considered defensively challenged, though Refsnyder has potential upside as a hitter. Refsnyder, a rookie last season, did well enough that by the end of the campaign, he was the starting second baseman against lefties. He began the wild-card game at second against the Houston Astros' Dallas Keuchel. Refsnyder turns 25 in March.
"At the very least, it is nice to have insurance at Triple-A," Cashman said. "At the very most, he will try to push himself into the mix somehow."
Fox Sports first tweeted about the trade talks between the Yankees and Cubs on Tuesday.
The Yankees have continually said this winter that they will not be in the big-money free-agent market and the trade market is where they will look to improve.
Castro also gives the Yankees a backup to Gregorius, as he began his career as a shortstop.
Warren shuttled back and forth between being a starter and a reliever with the Yankees. He was dependable, but the Yankees never fully trusted him as a starter. He finished last season 7-7 with a 3.29 ERA.
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