Are Cubs and Twins a Good Match in a Willi Castro Trade?

[Cody Pirkl]

The Cubs have spent the offseason shuffling their roster. Have they positioned themselves as the perfect landing spot for Willi Castro, should the Twins decide to ship him out this winter?

Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Willi Castro is a uniquely valuable player and has been vital to the Twins roster for the last two years. Unfortunately, due to budgetary constraints, he’s one of the many players who could be on the move this winter. If they dump his contract, the Chicago Cubs appear to be a perfect fit for the Twins' super-utility man.

Chicago just traded Cody Bellinger to the Yankees in what was essentially a salary dump, after he opted back into his contract. Now, they're in reinvestment mode, and they have some new positional needs.

Castro can fill the same role for the Cubs as he has for the Twins. Chicago doesn’t have an everyday slot to pencil him into, but they have several positions he can help fill. Top prospect Matt Shaw is now expected to fill third base to begin the season, and Castro can either delay his call-up or fill in as needed. He can be injury insurance at second and shortstop for Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson, respectively. Bellinger’s departure also opens up playing time in center field, whenever Pete Crow-Armstrong is injured, in need of a break, or a bad matchup against an opposing lefty. Castro would still be able to play nearly every day and provide the Cubs with a stopgap at several positions as needed.

The veteran is set to make roughly $6.2 million in 2025, according to MLB Trade Rumors. This would be considered a significant bargain on the open market for a player with Castro’s skill set, but the small amount makes all the difference for a Twins team with a strict, self-imposed payroll limit under which they need to duck. If the team is this strapped for cash, they could capitalize on the excess value of Castro at this price and rely on their youth at the positions he had previously filled. With several versatile players (such as Brooks Lee and Austin Martin) on the roster, the team may see Castro as a candidate to be shipped out.

What kind of deal can the Twins get for their super-utility man? A good baseline return for the Twins is someone like right-handed slugger Alexander Canario. The 24-year-old outfielder made a 15-game debut in 2024 and slashed .280/.357/.440. He may not be a candidate to fill in at center field, and strikeouts are a significant concern, but Canario would fit into the Twins' roster nicely, as a right-handed bat with significant thump. In 2022, he hit 37 homers between three levels of the minor leagues, and after an injury-riddled 2023, he hit another 18 in 64 games at Triple-A.

Canario is out of options and would have to make the Twins roster on Opening Day, but he appears as ready for MLB action as ever. Also, he’s slashing .298/.388/.561 in the Dominican Winter League this offseason. While Canario is a low-floor player to get in return for Castro, he would fit the Twins' predilection for platoons in the outfield corners and carry plenty of upside. The Twins would also likely ask for another lower-level prospect in return, but Canario seems like an appropriate headliner in a deal that involves dumping Castro’s contract. If the Twins could convert a minor-league signee now on the doorstep of free agency into a player with six years of team control and another lottery ticket to bolster their farm system, it would count as a major win.

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Would a low-floor, high-ceiling player like Canario be a strong enough headliner to ship out Willi Castro? Should the Twins try to get more, or not consider trading Castro at all? Let us know below!

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[tony&rodney]

The Twins don't need prospects. That said, Castro may be a player to tilt a decision in a potential trade for real talent. I would hope Falvey is asking virtually every team about their players, particularly teams like Milwaukee, Boston, Seattle, Arizona, and a couple of other squads. While I'm not privy to the opportunities out there, it seems like adding Willi Castro to Jhoan Duran (and possibly Kyle DeBarge) might slide Jordan Lawler to Target Field. There has to be other ideas as well. 

The Twins definitely can deal Chris Paddack for a decent minor league arrow to bring their money into alignment. Willi Castro provides value to the Twins team. If another team sees that value then the return should be something worth discussing more than a high ceiling player (rated as a 40 prospect) out of options. Maybe the Cubs will trade Kevin Alcantara. He would be worth an exchange for Willi Castro if the Cubs are going for it.

[Cory Engelhardt]

I’d be nervous of the strikeout rate, but the fit makes sense. If I am the twins I’d ask for another piece, possibly a low minors arm they find interesting. 

[Doctor Gast]

1st I'd like to say that I really like the writers at TD & I don't blame them for the stories they have to write. If I were a Cubs fan I'd be ecstatic but I'm a Twins fan & it's a terrible trade. You want us to trade away a key player who helped us to break the winless postseason curse, was our All-Star representative & MVP for a Keirsey-type player with Emma ready to come up & Jenkins at the door? If your objective is just dumping salary & you don't care if you are making the team worse so you can turn around & waste money on FAs like Gallo & Margot & make it worse yet. How insane or should I say creative can this team get?

[tony&rodney]

FWIW, Willi Castro was the Twins MVP in 2024. That should somehow be important if his skills are still there. Castro has over 4 WAR the last two years and elsewhere on Twins Daily there are discussions about picking up a 1 WAR player and likely for more money. We can trade Willi but the return should be reasonable.

[sweetmusicviola16]

57 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

If I were a Cubs fan I'd be ecstatic but I'm a Twins fan & it's a terrible trade. If your objective is just dumping salary & you don't care if you are making the team worse so you can turn around & waste money on FAs like Gallo & Margot & make it worse yet. How insane or should I say creative can this team get?

Yeah lets trade a valuable everyday player for a lesser player. That would be creative.

 

Just so this isn't misinterpreted, I'm being very sarcastic.

[sweetmusicviola16]

As for the idea of trading Castro for Canario, No. No to trading Castro at all unless he's part of a bigger trade that nets us a legitimate starting catcher. Castro is an everyday player who brings a number of different things to the table. If we are struggling in Mid to late July, that is the time to trade Castro.

[tony&rodney]

Something close to context - Willi Castro (i year left) for Kali'a Rosario, except for the Cubs player is out of options.

[bean5302]

I'd want a heck of a lot better than a non-prospect like Canario. Maybe somebody like Pablo Aliendo.

[Brett]

How about Castro for Pablo Aliendo? Maybe a half season at St. Paul and then bring him up if we deal Vazquez at the deadline.

[rv78]

Is this a serious article or a joke? I'm not trading a full-time, play almost anywhere, MLB player like Castro for a 21 total games MLB player named Canario or any other 21 game MLB player. 21 games doesn't prove anything at the major-league level regardless of how good the numbers are. The last good player the Twins got in a trade was Pablo Lopez and it took their best player, Luis Arraez to bring him here. If I'm trading my best player again, then it has to bring someone equally as good in return. Canario for Castro is laughable. 

[DocBauer]

IMO, Castro is the Twins 10th man. He's not just a utility player. He's a SUPER UTILITY player who is more than capable of being a "starter" at many positions, but is a "starter" as that 10th man who not only gives rest to players, but is a quasi-starter in the daily lineup who is a .740-.750 OPS player when healthy. And he's shown that in 2023 and the first half of 2024 before his back issues.

Again, in my "be the GM" I offered up the idea of extending him for 3yrs and $20M with a 2025 $ cost of $5.5-5.7M to ease the payroll. It locks him in, more than doubles his career earnings, but also keep his contract tradeable in the future. 

I'm a believer in Lee. I think he's going to be a quality player at 2B or 3B defensively, who can cover SS solidly. He's going to hit, get OB, provide solid contact, and provide XB and some HR power. What I'm not sure of is whether or not he's going to be good or great. I'm not quite 100% sure he's ready to be a starter from day ONE in 2025. I'm a HUGE believer in Lewis, especially if he finally gets over weird, random soft tissue injuries that have held him back. (He's working with a trainer he has before and trusts). And who knows if Julien will get right again? When is Keaschall ready? 

Castro is more important than some low level RH bat. He's a part of the lineup. His value might dip come 2026 with further development and promotion of talent on hand. But I believe he's a key piece for 2025. And I wouldn't move him unless he was part of a serious return for a young player for now and the future.

[tony&rodney]

2 hours ago, rv78 said:

Is this a serious article or a joke? I'm not trading a full-time, play almost anywhere, MLB player like Castro for a 21 total games MLB player named Canario or any other 21 game MLB player. 21 games doesn't prove anything at the major-league level regardless of how good the numbers are. The last good player the Twins got in a trade was Pablo Lopez and it took their best player, Luis Arraez to bring him here. If I'm trading my best player again, then it has to bring someone equally as good in return. Canario for Castro is laughable. 

While I have no idea the exact idea with this article, I'm guessing that the writer was attempting to find the value in trade between the Cubs and Twins. Clearly, I'm opposed to this specific exchange idea from my comments above. However, the concept of putting out guesstimates for potential trades is worth a discussion even if I (or others) may have dismissed it as not worth a second look. Perhaps individuals might find it more interesting to suggest alternative trade proposals, but I'm not seeing any benefit to putting down the writer. Another option is to skip the article or at a minimum refrain from commenting. We may be venturing into a time of no relevant offseason news. Falvey takes vacations too. Twins Daily must be searching for ideas, which is tough.

[rv78]

7 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

While I have no idea the exact idea with this article, I'm guessing that the writer was attempting to find the value in trade between the Cubs and Twins. Clearly, I'm opposed to this specific exchange idea from my comments above. However, the concept of putting out guesstimates for potential trades is worth a discussion even if I (or others) may have dismissed it as not worth a second look. Perhaps individuals might find it more interesting to suggest alternative trade proposals, but I'm not seeing any benefit to putting down the writer. Another option is to skip the article or at a minimum refrain from commenting. We may be venturing into a time of no relevant offseason news. Falvey takes vacations too. Twins Daily must be searching for ideas, which is tough.

Then come up with a player from the Cubs that is worthy of a trade for Castro. That really shouldn't be too "tough". Most of the players in these articles seem to be from throwing darts at the other teams bench players or AAAA. Is that because they too have no faith in this FO to make good trades and are so use to the dumpster diving that those are the only players that are expected to be traded for? I have no problem with acquiring a player like Canario but common sense tells me you don't trade someone with Castro level talent for him. 

[tony&rodney]

6 minutes ago, rv78 said:

Is that because they too have no faith in this FO to make good trades and are so use to the dumpster diving that those are the only players that are expected to be traded for?

This might be it. I too was flummoxed by the choice of such a lowly rated player. I doubt the Cubs trade Kevin Alcantara, but that sounds more fitting. Castro should be part of a larger trade.

[TopGunn#22]

I wouldn't do the proposed trade in the article for Castro but I'm glad Cody introduced an interesting player in Canario.  While Canario bats RH and is a player with power potential is he really the type of player the Twins should be looking at acquiring with E-Rod on the way and Walker Jenkins close behind?  Especially if the trade involved a key player like Castro.

Lurking behind the scenes in any trade is the possible ownership change.  What kind of team do the Ishbia brothers want to inherit from the Pohlad's?  If the Ishbia brothers were our owners, we could very well be looking at trades of Vasquez, Paddack and Castro anyway.  Or maybe we wouldn't.  But it's clear to me that the Ishbia brothers have a very different outlook and plan than the Pohlad driven vision. 

Doogie Wolfson on Skor North reports that the interest by the Ishbia brothers in the Twins is STRONG.  While that is very good news, it makes me wonder how involved the brothers would be/would be in any major moves prior to a sale.  I think it's safe to say that Correa, Lopez and Buxton aren't going anywhere.  This is somewhat similar to the potential sale of the Timberwolves and the trade of KAT to the Knicks.  Did A-Rod and his partner have any input?  

I would rather package Castro in an attempt to get a young "Catcher of the Future" like Dalton Rushing or Diego Cartaya from the Dodgers.  I could entertain a Canario for Paddack straight up trade where the Cubs take on ALL $7.5 million of Paddack's contract.  The Cubs could use Paddack as their #5 SP or as a BP arm.  Canario, while intriguing, is just a guy who is out of options.  You salary dump an affordable pitcher for that kind of guy. not an All Star Caliber "Super Utility" guy.   

 

[luckylager]

My current level of fandom towards this franchise is at a 20 year low. Trading one of the most exciting, productive players on the team due to "budget constraints" would turn my interest meter to zero.

[old nurse]

Castro would be a rental player. The value of his accomplishments is going to be lower. It only makes sense for the Cubs to trade for him if they figure they are close to contending and whatever they give up is going to be of about equal value to what they will get out of Castro. So what the Twins would be hoping for is a mistake. 

[nicksaviking]

I know there are rumblings of trading Castro, but I guess I don't follow the logic. Do you do it so you can keep Vazquez? Or do you trade him and also trade Vazquez so you have extra free agent money to spend on a player that is worse than Castro? Neither makes sense to me.

I'm with others, I'm only trading Castro if it's part of a bigger deal with Twins prospects for a better player from another team.

[old nurse]

2 minutes ago, luckylager said:

My current level of fandom towards this franchise is at a 20 year low. Trading one of the most exciting, productive players on the team due to "budget constraints" would turn my interest meter to zero.

If they are trading Castro it would be to add to the team for future years as Castro will be a free agent. Sorry that you bought into the blogger’s bias 

[Otaknam]

11 hours ago, rv78 said:

Is this a serious article or a joke? I'm not trading a full-time, play almost anywhere, MLB player like Castro for a 21 total games MLB player named Canario or any other 21 game MLB player. 21 games doesn't prove anything at the major-league level regardless of how good the numbers are. The last good player the Twins got in a trade was Pablo Lopez and it took their best player, Luis Arraez to bring him here. If I'm trading my best player again, then it has to bring someone equally as good in return. Canario for Castro is laughable. 

I disagree that this clickbait proposal is laughable. The Twins are in salary dump mode, so any move that frees up $5-10 million will be considered, regardless of what it brings back. That is where we are with this team right now. 

[Fire Dan Gladden]

So a team that is supposedly fighting for the postseason (Twins) trades an inexpensive, very useful player for what exactly?  Prospects?

One of two things needs to happen:
- You add a correct piece or two, or make a substantial trade that is an upgrade and make an effort
or
- You blow this team up, trade anyone not under arbitration control for the next 3 years, and get the salary under $80m

Every article/discussion here is about how much can the the Twins cut and still be competitive.  I am not sure how much more there is to give.

[LambchoP]

Castro is way too important to this team to dump him for a backup type of player. If we were to trade Castro, I'd say I'd want a starting first baseman or a better RH outfielder who hits well enough to be an everyday player. With all the I juries we have, plus the ineffectiveness of Julien and Lee, Castro is going to be needed and awful lot. Just about everyday like he was last year. I can't believe they haven't found a trade partner for Paddack yet. With the money these FA SP are getting, Paddack should have multiple suitors you would think. And it's not like the Twins are asking for a lot in return if it's just a salary dump.

[David Maro]

Let's trade the only everyday player the team has on a injury prone roster. How about moving on from Paddock and Vasquez or even Varland who has not shown he can start. He is now behind SWR and Festa and may start the season in St Paul because the BP needs a LH pitcher. Both Martin and Lee are not as viable as Castro at this time.

[JD-TWINS]

Can’t trade for prospects - not as a central theme to the offseason!

IMO, Castro among another 10 rostered guys could be seriously considered in trades. The general approach of grouping 2-4 of these guys together to bring back one viable player for the Twins per trade is the approach that will be needed.

[Muppet]

Here's a hot take... and before everyone comes at me with pitchforks, I'm just thinking this out... but what if Castro's great performance was a fluke. His second half was very very bad. And he wasn't All Star material back in Detroit either. Yes, he can play (somewhat poor) defense at all positions, but if we need him to fill holes like that, we're probably going to have bigger problems. 

[Major League Ready]

1 hour ago, old nurse said:

If they are trading Castro it would be to add to the team for future years as Castro will be a free agent. Sorry that you bought into the blogger’s bias 

Good point.  Cleveland and Tampa are the kings of this practice.  Lindor, Kluber, Clevinger, Bauer, and several others were all future focused trades.  Even our old friend Carlos Santana was acquired as a prospect in trade for an established player (Casey Blake).  Tampa has many examples as well.

[nicksaviking]

21 minutes ago, Muppet said:

Here's a hot take... and before everyone comes at me with pitchforks, I'm just thinking this out... but what if Castro's great performance was a fluke. His second half was very very bad. And he wasn't All Star material back in Detroit either. Yes, he can play (somewhat poor) defense at all positions, but if we need him to fill holes like that, we're probably going to have bigger problems. 

I honestly don't trust Castro to continue to perform as we'd like him to.

But anyone they would sign with his savings of 6.9M I would trust exponentially less. In other words, I don't want to give them a chance to fill his roster spot and his !635 PA! with even worse players, which is almost certainly what will happen unless he's packaged with prospects to get a better player.

[luckylager]

1 hour ago, old nurse said:

If they are trading Castro it would be to add to the team for future years as Castro will be a free agent. Sorry that you bought into the blogger’s bias 

Screw that, I've done 50 years of "adding for the future". Hasn't worked out too well. The future is now.

[jmlease1]

I hate to say it, but I think a lot of Twins fans around here are overrating Willi Castro, who is a very nice player to have, but fell off badly at the plate in the second half last season (batted .200 in July & Sept/Oct, with an OPS of .548 & .562 respectively. That's dreadful). Vazquez out-hit Castro in the second half last season. And Castro's defense was much much worse last year, and he was much less impactful in the running game in 2024. Other teams are going to look at him and see a useful utility guy but aren't going to give extra credit for the all-star nod.

I like Castro a lot, but he wasn't our best player last season, he wasn't the most valuable, and it's not really very close. He gets extra credit for being able to play almost anywhere, but takes demerits from often not playing them well. I'd argue that one of the things last season showed us was that Castro might be more impactful when he's playing a little less.

All of that plus a $6M salary limits what you can get in return for him.