Why Minnesota Twins Should Re-Sign Willi Castro to Round Out Positional Group

[Cody Schoenmann]

Image courtesy of © Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Over three months into the offseason, the Minnesota Twins have been mildly active on the position player front, trading for Alex Jackson to succeed Christian Vázquez as backup catcher; signing switch-hitting veteran Josh Bell to become the primary first baseman and/or DH; and acquiring Ryan Kreidler, Eric Wagaman, and Orlando Arcia to provide depth on the margins.

Adding these five depth pieces to the core of Byron Buxton, Royce Lewis, Luke Keaschall, Ryan Jeffers, Matt Wallner, Brooks Lee, and others, Minnesota is nearly done rounding out its 13-person major-league position player collective. They have depth options likely to be ticketed for Triple-A St. Paul, where they can await injuries or other opportunities. That said, the club would be wise to add one more versatile bench bat to round out the group—preferably someone who could fill a super utility role in the infield and outfield. Sound familiar?

 

Signed to a minor-league contract before the 2023 season, struggling major-league veteran Willi Castro underwent a career renaissance with Minnesota, generating a combined 107 wRC+ over 1,388 plate appearances and spending meaningful time at six different defensive positions (including multiple relief appearances). Traded to the Chicago Cubs at last season’s trade deadline, the 28-year-old struggled, hitting .170/.245/.240 with a 40 wRC+ over 110 plate appearances. The former Twin provided a similar level of defensive versatility for Chicago, but his offensive ineptitude kept him off the club’s playoff rosters, signaling an unceremonious end to his tenure with the Cubs.

 

Before struggling in Chicago, Castro was expected to net a multi-year contract this offseason, potentially earning more than $10 million annually. He is now projected to net a one-year deal worth between $3 million and $5 million. That being the case, the former fan favorite should be within the salary-restricted Twins' price range, while possessing a skillset that would patch the remaining holes on the club’s roster.

 

As mentioned earlier, Castro started at six positions for the Twins in 2025, primarily playing second base, right field, left field, and third base. Minnesota has adequate corner outfield depth in Wallner, Trevor Larnach, Austin Martin, Alan Roden, James Outman, and top prospects Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez will begin the season at St. Paul. Still, given Castro’s matchup utility as a balanced switch-hitter, he could find time in left or right field as a right-handed platoon option. He could also function as Royce Lewis’s backup at third base and mix in at second base alongside Keaschall and Kody Clemens. Castro’s days as a shortstop and center fielder are behind him. Still, he could function as Brooks Lee’s emergency backup at shortstop, operating as a superior offensive option to Kreidler or Arcia and rendering it unnecessary to roster them unless and until Lee gets hurt.

 

Despite rumors swirling around Castro mixing in at first base last season, he didn’t play a single inning at the position. In 2026, Minnesota could be more incentivized to provide him an opportunity there, given that Bell is defensively deficient and Clemens and Wagaman are fringy pieces. Again, Castro is no longer the super utility player who unexpectedly earned an All-Star nod in 2024. Those who follow the Twins shouldn’t expect him to be that guy. Still, with Kreidler, Arcia and Wagaman (all below-average hitters) around as depth alternatives, team decision-makers would be wise to add a stronger option. Affordable and well-liked in the clubhouse, Castro is a good candidate to be that guy.

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[farmerguychris]

My thoughts would be yes, this would be a good move - if only for a million or two.  BUT - considering the guys we've already brought in - I don't think there are any more spots for additional hitters.  He has pitched before so....maybe in the bullpen?😱

[RpR]

No.

[LambchoP]

Sure, Castro would be good depth, but any money we have left to spend needs to go towards our bullpen. They've done almost nothing to address that black hole yet...

[LewFordLives]

It's an interesting thought. I would rather have him off the bench than Kreidler, Wagaman, or Arcia.

[DJL44]

Castro plays mainly 2B/LF/RF with some 3B mixed in. The Twins have plenty of options for 2B/LF/RF on the roster. They need someone who has plus defense in the infield to back up at SS/3B and that isn't Willi Castro.

With most moves, the question isn't yes/no but at what cost. I wouldn't give Castro more than $3M to return. 

[Cody Schoenmann]

13 minutes ago, LambchoP said:

Sure, Castro would be good depth, but any money we have left to spend needs to go towards our bullpen. They've done almost nothing to address that black hole yet...

i think Connor Prielipp, Marco Raya, and John Klein will play meaningful roles in addressing it 

[Dman]

I get the thinking as he made the All Star team in 2024, but his bat is just so unreliable the Twins could just as well go with a young guy there and build toward the future.  Kreidler was their pick for Shortstop and Center as he is the perfect no hit bat they seem to prefer in that spot.

The outfield is full and other than short the infield looks covered.  I'd just move on at this point.

[CRF]

I think that ship has sailed. 

[DJL44]

12 minutes ago, Cody Schoenmann said:

i think Connor Prielipp, Marco Raya, and John Klein will play meaningful roles in addressing it 

I think you're counting at least two chickens before they've hatched.

[Parfigliano]

I'd go with someone off the farm before a Castro trip down memory lane.

[stringer bell]

Is Willi a viable shortstop alternative? I don’t think so. If he isn’t, it really isn’t a fit. 

[soyouresayingtheresachance]

No.

He can't play above average, or even average, shortstop anymore. That is the only infield position we need backup for. The rest are all covered. 

[nicksaviking]

1 hour ago, DJL44 said:

I think you're counting at least two chickens before they've hatched.

Getting good bullpen results from starters on the farm is just as likely, if not more likely than signing mid to low tier free agents. Unless you're a top end bullpen arm, you're never more than 10 innings from being at risk of a DFA. They are not reliable by nature and we've seen a thousand times that changing, usage, teams, cities, managers, teammates or ballparks makes differences you can't even begin to predict for them.

Even if the Twins spent 20M on the pen this year, it wouldn't have been a good pen. This is the one spot on the team you have to build through familiarity and patience.

[DJL44]

9 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

Getting good bullpen results from starters on the farm is just as likely, if not more likely than signing mid to low tier free agents. Unless you're a top end bullpen arm, you're never more than 10 innings from being at risk of a DFA. They are not reliable by nature and we've seen a thousand times that changing, usage, teams, cities, managers, teammates or ballparks makes differences you can't even begin to predict for them.

Even if the Twins spent 20M on the pen this year, it wouldn't have been a good pen. This is the one spot on the team you have to build through familiarity and patience.

I still wouldn't count on players who were bad in AAA or weren't even at AAA for bullpen help. Bad at AAA is usually a good indicator that the pitcher will be bad in MLB.

[Patzky]

58 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Is Willi a viable shortstop alternative? I don’t think so. If he isn’t, it really isn’t a fit. 

Kyle Farmer might be 🥶

[bean5302]

Castro is poor defensively at most positions. He's got the physical tools to be solid, but IMHO, he's ill suited to a utility role. His bat was significantly below average last year, and as noted in the article, he was so poor Chicago left him flat off the roster for the playoffs.

I certainly wouldn't put it past Falvey to sign him because of Falvey's penchant for signing every cheap free agent he can get his hands on, but Castro doesn't fill a need for the Twins right now. The time to sign him was before bringing in a cluster of low ceiling depth guys.

[Rosterman]

His worth sure dropped after his time in Chicago. But even then anything north of $2.5 million would be too much for someone not able to be a fulltime shortstop or third baseman if a regular goes down.

Not that the Twins have viable alternatives right now (Gasper, Kriedler, Arcia) and the Twins will have to keep of let fly Julien.

[stringer bell]

1 hour ago, Patzky said:

Kyle Farmer might be 🥶

Farmer's range makes Lee look average. I don't think that is a good thing.

[stringer bell]

52 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

Castro is poor defensively at most positions. He's got the physical tools to be solid, but IMHO, he's ill suited to a utility role. His bat was significantly below average last year, and as noted in the article, he was so poor Chicago left him flat off the roster for the playoffs.

I certainly wouldn't put it past Falvey to sign him because of Falvey's penchant for signing every cheap free agent he can get his hands on, but Castro doesn't fill a need for the Twins right now. The time to sign him was before bringing in a cluster of low ceiling depth guys.

Castro has extreme versatility. Not many guys can adequately play six different positions. He had a breakthrough year defensively in 2023, but has gone backwards since. Maybe it was a happy accident in 2023, but he played his best left field and third base and was satisfactory in center and shortstop. He didn't play much second base and no right field in 2023. 

In 2024, Willi was a regular and played over 20 games at five different positions in the field, a rare feat, but he didn't improve. Maybe it was because he was asked to play too much center and shortstop or maybe he wasn't fully healthy or maybe his steps forward in 2023 were a bit of a fluke. 

Still, someone with his versatility, speed and switch hitting ability can be an asset for a lot of teams. I don't think he is a fit for the 2026 Twins.

[jmlease1]

Willi Castro is a great dude, and I wish him all the luck in the world. But he makes little sense for the Twins, and if he hadn't played for us previously, no one would be talking about him as an option.

Yes, he had a career renaissance after joining the Twins, but it's notable that he's been on a real decline since his all-star appearance in 2024. he defensive utility has dropped significantly, he's not impacting games with his legs like he used to, there's less pop in his bat, even as a switch-hitter, he doesn't hit LHP consistently or all that well.

Even as a buy low candidate, he's not a great fit, especially since there's zero indication he can play SS at this point.

Sorry, Willi. You're a good dude. Hope you get a bag...somewhere else.

[bunsen82]

Honestly,  if we are spending 14.5 million,  I don't see us spending more than $6 million on 2 relievers unless we sign  Dominguez or Robertson.  This also doesn't consider the implications of trading Larnach.   

I would be fine with Castro as the backup utility.    

[RpR]

1 hour ago, stringer bell said:

Farmer's range makes Lee look average. I don't think that is a good thing.

LOL - his range, since he left the Twins has improved . especially last year but at that, SS was where he was lacking.  Second Base is where he was and is still pretty good.

His bat is not too good any more.

[NJM]

Id rather sign a few more bullpen arms and see whats going on first.

[sweetmusicviola16]

I like Willi and he had a good run here. But this team is so poorly constructed that Willi would only add to that. He really doesn't fit our needs at this point. 

[Dave Borton]

2 hours ago, bean5302 said:

His bat was significantly below average last year, and as noted in the article, he was so poor Chicago left him flat off the roster for the playoffs.

I followed Willi once he moved on to Chicago. I believe the trade affected him mentally. He batted for league average while here (75% of his ABs) and dropped 70 points for the Cubs in his 25% of the season with them.'

I don't have a good handle on all the defensive IF changes (holy merrygoround) so can't speak to how he fits in.

[TJSweens]

Castro is a hard no. He's a sub par hitter and a terrible fielder. His position versatility is a moot point as his fielding is below average at all of them. In the end Castro will just take games an at bats away from developing players.

[DJL44]

2 hours ago, TJSweens said:

Castro is a hard no. He's a sub par hitter and a terrible fielder. His position versatility is a moot point as his fielding is below average at all of them. In the end Castro will just take games an at bats away from developing players.

Which developing players - Outman, Julien or Gasper?

[DocBauer]

The only viable backup to Lewis at 3B is Lee, with Kreidler then playing SS daily. Even if Kreidler played a really good SS, past history at the ML and MILB level says he will be a POOR hitter.

So on the one hand, I can see the appeal of Castro be $3M to be a utility player at multiple positions. Forget what he did AFTER the trade with his bat. He was an above league average hitter while with the Twins in 2025. There is a potential fit with the Twins at around $3-3.5M since the current roster construction is just awful.

What they SHOULD have done is not sign Bell for $7M...who I still like...and tried to get Lowe for about $9-10M per for 2yrs to settle 1B. Even after a down season, he was productive and he has solid career splits, can play a solid 1B, and you wouldn't have moved a decent LHRP prospect in Bragg for Wagaman. Does Lowe have Bell's pure power? No. But he's a solid hitter with 18-22 HR power, with some doubles, a solid career HITTER profile, and SETTLES 1B for a couple years. And you don't have to WASTE a roster spot for a 25% PA hitter like Wagaman who shortens your bench.

NEXT, Larnach shouldn't have been offered arbitration, OR, been signed as he is now, and immediately moved by himself, or part of a package, for SOMEONE with some solid BP experience. By himself he probably brings back an Okert type of reliever. With a solid prospect involved, you probably get another team's Sands/Varland who has some good stuff but is/has just transitioned to the pen and has some upside.

The $ saved on Larnach then allows you to sign a nice and relatively inexpensive utility player like Ramon Urias...switch hitter with neutral career splits...with the ability to play 1B/2B/3B and emergency SS, OR, maybe Castro for the EXACT same spots, but with the ability to also play some OF. 

THAT is BETTER, SMARTER, and more versatile roster construction for only a couple $M more in total! And you NOW get to play Wallner more at DH with the better defense of Martin and Roden playing the corners...each with some upside...Wallner, Clemens, and potentially Castro in this scenario, also able to help in the OF. The INF has better coverage, the OF has better defense, 1B is solid, and Rodriguez, Jenkins, and Gonzalez aren't blocked by anyone other than Martin and Roden when ready. Hell, even Fedko is available for additional depth if needed.

Try to tell me that doesn't make more sense than Bell as a full time DH with INF depth issues and questionable OF defense, with no room to move Wallner to DH when the prospects are ready?

And you'd still some $ to add a couple decent, veteran FA options for the pen.

So yeah, with Wagaman having options and being cheap, there still might be room for Castro, maybe even Urias, as better depth options for better roster construction. 

But please tell me as a fan an AMATEUR GM, how can I already see a different and better plan for roster construction than Falvey?

[TheLeviathan]

Do I love the move?  No.  Are there many better options on which to spend our money?  Also no.

Signing him and trading Larnach for a bullpen piece is a move I would feel whelmed by.