Chicago Cubs analysis: A Starlin Castro trade shouldn’t be an inevitability
By Paul Steeno
October 20, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; New York Mets right fielder Curtis Granderson (3) steals second in the first inning against Chicago Cubs second baseman Starlin Castro (13) in game four of the NLCS at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
At one point this season, Starlin Castro looked like he might remain a Cub by default because it looked like he lost all of his trade value from all of his poor performances. However, Castro finished the 2015 season strong. If Castro can carry over his success during the last 1/3 of 2015 into next season, that is a bat that the Cubs can’t afford to take out of their lineup.
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After Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon decided to bench him on August 7, Castro excelled at the plate when given opportunities.
According to baseball reference, Castro had a hitting slash of .296/.315/.437 in August and .369/.400/.655 in September/October. From his first game back after getting benched on August 7 to the end of the regular season, Castro hit .353/.373/.588 and recorded 23 RBIs and six home runs.
Various projection systems predict that Castro will have a good 2016 season. Baseball reference predicted that he would have a hitting slash of .271/.313/.400 with 57 RBIs and 12 home runs. Streamer projections courtesy of RotoChamp.com predicts that he will slash .272/313/.404 with 13 home runs and 66 RBIs.
October 20, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs second baseman Starlin Castro (13) hits a single in the first inning against the New York Mets in game three of the NLCS at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
If these projections are correct, it is quite obvious that the Cubs have a valuable player in Starlin Castro. They can’t afford to flip him arbitrarily; the only scenario where he deserves to get moved is if the Cubs can get an outstanding player in exchange. A one-to-one trade with the Yankees for Brett Gardner doesn’t cut it.
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