Yankees Editorial: Should the Yankees Pursue Starlin Castro?

The New York Yankees have exceeded expectations so far this season and are off to an American League East best 21-16 start. The hot start of Alex Rodriguez, the one-two punch of Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury and their stellar bullpen led by Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances are the leading factors as to why the Yankees are currently in first place. However, the one player that has continued to struggle for the Yankees is shortstop Didi Gregorius.

Now, before I move on I just want to point out that I am a big believer in Didi Gregorius, and I certainly think he’s has been a stellar defensive upgrade, but his bat has struggled mightily, and it’s tough to see his offensive numbers improving. According to baseball prospectus, Gregorius’ has posted a -0.2 WARP so far through the 2015 season, the lowest mark of his career.

Though he’s projected to improve and finish the season with a 0.6 WARP, it’s up to the Yankees to ultimately decide if they want more ‘pop’ from the shortstop position, and if they should, there are some pretty interesting names that figure to be available during the 2015 MLB Trade Deadline, one of which is Starlin Castro.

If I’m Brian Cashman, I pick up the phone right now and set up a conference call with Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer to see what it would take to acquire the 25-year old shortstop. It’s no secret that the Cubs will be looking to move Castro in order to make room for the younger Javier Baez once he’s ready to be called up. Yes, Gregorius has the upper edge in terms of infield range, but Starlin Castro is a more well-rounded player than Greogrius. Through 35 games played, Castro has posted a .278/.311/.361 slash line. Castro has committed six errors compared to Gregorius’ four and Gregorius does have a slightly higher fielding percentage than Castro does, but Castro has 13 more RBIs and 19 more hits than Gregorius.

Like I said, the decision is going to come down to whether or not the Yankees want to slightly take a step back defensively in order to bolster their offense, but the move will make sense for a number of reasons. For starters, it will give the Yankees an offensive boost for a playoff run, but at the same-time Castro wouldn’t be considered a rental either, as he’s signed through 2019. On the Cubs end, they’ll be sending Castro out of the National League in order to make room for one of their most promising prospects, and knowing the Yankees, they’ll likely take on the entire $59 MM or so remaining on Castro’s deal, which will give the Cubs even more money to go out and acquire the starting pitching they so desperately need.

What do you think Yankees fans? Let us know in the comments below.

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