FanPost

Starlin Castro, I Want Him

Can we get him?

Okay, there's more to it than that. I woke this morning to an update saying the Cubs plan on calling up top prospect Addison Russell today. The Cubs are packed with talent, and unless they have no future plans for Baez at 2b - there's a logjam for the star SS in the middle infield.

This offseason, Ken Rosenthal noted that the rise of Russell either pushes (former top prospect, now major leaguer) Kris Bryant to the outfield and Castro to 3b (a position he has 0 experience at), or forces the Cubs to trade Castro all together.

While keeping his bat in the lineup is probably optimal for the Cubbies, it would be foolish to not look into trading the Offense-First 25 year old. Omitting a terrible 2013 season, Castro's bat has been amongst the best for Major League SS since he entered the league, and so far this year, it's been no different. Currently Castro is sporting a .327 batting average, tied with Troy Tulowitzki for best among National League SS. Needless to say, his stock is high.

What would it take for the Yankees to snag the 3 time All Star?

Well I would assume any trade for the Star(lin) would start with the Yankees top pitching prospect Luis Severino. The Cubs are stacked with talented hitting prospects - but lack rather heavily in elite pitching prospects. Severino is just that. Though it's just a short sample size this year, 3 of the Cubs 5 starters have an ERA over 5.1 (by comparison, the Yankees have 0 matching that number), and while it's safe to assume that Lester won't continue to pitch like he has lately, it is worth noting their big offseason piece hasn't helped much.

Severino is close, and he would undoubtedly improve any rotation the majors - excluding the Nationals. The Cubs don't have any current internal options for improving that rotation, so they'd likely be happy to take him off our hands in exchange for Castro. I would assume the Yanks would also have to throw in some Major League talent, such as Ivan Nova, or maybe a bullpen piece like David Carpenter.

Would a move be worth it?

This is the tough question. While you can never project how a prospect is ultimately going to turn out, Sev seems to be on the right path to having an excellent Major League Career. The Cubs seem to feel similarly about both Bryant, and Russell. Ivan Nova has proven that he has the stuff to be a top end of the rotation guy when healthy, but has only put together an ERA under 3.7 in one season, and has had injury troubles recently. Carpenter's career ERA is a little inflated after one bad year, but he was excellent in both 2013 and 2014 for Atlanta, and projects to be a big part of the Yankees bullpen this year. However, with a healthy Andrew Bailey inching closer to the Majors, maybe a bullpen spot is ready to open up.

Castro can impact the game every day whereas Severino and Nova are every 5 days, and Carpenter is as needed. I think this move would benefit both teams, and is worth taking a chance on, do you?

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