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What’s Up With Willi Castro
The Twins signed Willi Castro to a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training in 2023, and he’s rewarded them with near-everyday play: 282 games of above-average production in the last two seasons. He has 5.6 fWAR in those two seasons, more than every Twins hitter except for Carlos Correa. When you take into account his $1.8-million salary in 2023 and just a $3.3 million payday in his All-Star 2024 campaign, it’s an easy call to suggest he’s been this front office’s best acquisition from a pound-for-pound value standpoint.
But heading into his final year of arbitration control, Castro is expected to reel in somewhere in the neighborhood of $6.2 million (as projected by MLB Trade Rumors). If he’s the player we saw in the first half of last season, that’s an easy call to pencil him into the 2025 blueprint. But his rotten second half (wherein he hit .219/.298/.329, good for an 82 wRC+) makes it a riskier decision, especially given the logjam of position players in the organization who are either already established in the major leagues or knocking on the door for a promotion.
The Case for Trading Willi Castro
That leads to some of the indications that the Twins could be behooved to ship Castro to another organization, while his market value is still relatively positive. Not only could the Twins get salary relief from replacing his projected salary with someone making the league minimum (such as Brooks Lee), but they might even get a modest return. Would the Twins get a blue-chip prospect for one year of control over Castro? Surely not, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that they could get something intriguing for someone who plays multiple positions (more on that later) and was an All Star just last year.
If the Twins are confident in some of their younger pieces stepping up to fill Catro’s shoes, now could be a good time to dive headfirst into that long-term plan. Lee could fill any of the infield positions that Castro was entrusted with over the last couple years, and Austin Martin (or even an outside addition at a more palatable salary) could theoretically handle his duties in the outfield.
Inquiring teams could be interested in Castro as an everyday utility player, as he’s been with the Twins so far, or they could even try to plant him at a defensive home if they have a specific need. The versatile utility player started at least 20 games in left field, center field, and at each infield position aside from first base. While he didn't raise any eyebrows at any one position, he mostly held his own at each station.
Castro likely wouldn’t require an exorbitant return package, especially if the acquiring team eats that salary. If the Twins can find a way to shed the roughly $6 million Castro will make (likely in addition to another move to shed salary owed to someone like Christian Vázquez or Chris Paddack), they may have just enough wiggle room to make a move for one of their areas of need. It would be placing a lot of trust in less-seasoned young players, but it could be for the best given the circumstances.
Comparable Trades of the Past
There have been a couple trades in recent years that run along parallel lines to this sort of move. The Twins traded Gio Urshela to the Los Angeles Angels after tendering him a contract for his final year of arbitration in the offseason before the 2023 campaign. Like Castro, Urshela could be entrusted with multiple positions (though not nearly as many as Castro), and was set to earn roughly $8 million. Instead, the Twins sent him to Anaheim for Alejandro Hidalgo, who was a 19-year-old at High-A at the time, as well as the ever-important salary relief.
That same day, the Twins found themselves on the opposite side of that coin when they traded for Kyle Farmer, who was seen as a capable stopgap at shortstop if needed, or ideally as a bench option who could play elsewhere around the diamond. They gave up Casey Legumina, who was a fringe top-30 organizational prospect at the time. While these moves were made concurrently, they each represent decent comparisons for what to expect in a potential Castro deal given his positional flexibility and the salary that would be exchanged.
Potential Trade Partners
Due to a dearth of options at a few positions in the free agent market, Castro could be an enticing option for teams with more room to spend and a specific hole to try and fill. He provides offensive upside from both sides of the plate (especially as a righty) and has been a threat on the bases as recently as 2023. Keep these teams in mind as we look for a club that could be interested in Castro for his contract year.
Boston Red Sox
Like the Twins, the Red Sox couldn’t find their footing in the second half and should be looking to rebound in 2025. But unlike the Twins, the Sox have ample spending room, as they are about $50 million short of last year’s payroll, with no indication that they’ve been directed to scale back. Castro likely wouldn’t be their priority this winter, but he would be an improvement over internal candidates such as infielders David Hamilton and Nick Sogard.
Could the Twins try to flip Castro along with former Sox-fan favorite Vázquez in a bigger deal that provides considerable payroll relief?
Toronto Blue Jays
Another AL East team that found themselves in a disappointing place at the end of the season is our friends north of the border in Toronto. It’s a pivotal year for the club, as their two superstar position players, Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are both entering their contract years. If they want to make some noise as a contending team, they’ll want an improvement over their projected starters at third base (Ernie Clement) and in left field (Nathan Lukes).
Maybe the Twins could try to get an enticing (albeit flawed) relief option in return, such as Dillon Tate (4.66 ERA in 2024, two years of club control remaining) or Brendon Little (4.27 ERA across 46 ⅓ MLB innings over the last two years, making minimum salary).
Houston Astros
The AL West powerhouse is likely to be quite active this winter, as they have significant holes at third base (assuming they don’t re-sign superstar Alex Bregman), and in the outfield aside from Kyle Tucker. They are also set to have roughly $30 million to play with just to get to their 2024 payroll level. Castro could give them a starting-caliber option at each of these positions, or could be a lethal platoon and pinch-running option for a slowish, top-heavy offense.
Could the Twins ask about former global top prospect Forrest Whitley, who is now a 27-year-old that has battled injuries for the last four years? Would Minnesota have to throw in another kicker in addition to Castro to get it across the finish line?
New York Yankees
The reigning AL champions are set to lose both Juan Soto and Gleyber Torres to free agency, and while they will certainly try to keep the former in the fold, the Yankees could eye Castro as a suitable (if partial) replacement for the latter. Castro would provide them with some much-needed speed and defensive versatility, which could entice the bombers if they wish to keep Giancarlo Stanton as a permanent designated hitter or move Aaron Judge out of center field.
With the Soto sweepstakes likely to drag on for a while, Castro’s fit with the Yankees might not become clear until later in the winter, but it’s always smart to expect the big-pocketed clubs to bring in more than they need on the surface.
Conclusions
A trade of Castro probably comes down to two factors: how much salary could the club shed in such a move, and how confident are the Twins in his potential replacements? There’s plenty to balance as the team makes their deliberations, but either way, Castro has been an incredible value since signing that minor-league deal. Can the Twins squeeze just a little more value out of him?
What do you think? Should the Twins try to move Willi Castro this offseason? How confident are you in the club being able to replicate his production in 2025? Let us know in the comments, and as always, keep it sweet.
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