According to a report from Jon Heyman, the Cubs placed Starlin Castro on revocable waivers. Heyman’s report has not been confirmed by the national media or the Cubs’ beat writers.
Heyman reported Friday morning Castro’s “name hit the revocable waiver wire a couple of days ago.” Heyman did not provide an exact date but did say he is “very likely to clear waivers.”
The report from Heyman came three days after Bob Nightengale said the Cubs had not placed Castro on waivers yet this month.
If Castro was placed on waivers “a couple of days ago,” the Cubs might have placed him on waivers Wednesday based on the timeline of the two reports. Again, it has not been confirmed the Cubs tried to send Castro through much less the date or if he cleared.
Teams place a majority of their players on revocable waivers in August. Front offices use this time to gage interest in their players. If a player is claimed a front office has no interest in trading, the club will simply pull him back.
With Starlin Castro struggling this season, coupled with the guaranteed money he has left on his contract, it is likely he would pass through waivers unclaimed.
Starlin Castro has four years remaining on the seven-year extension he signed in August 2012. Castro is owed $38 million ($7 million in 2016; $9 million in 2017; $10 million in 2018; $11 million in 2019) and the contract includes a $16 million club option for 2020 that has a $1 million buyout attached to it.
It is well-documented how much Starlin Castro has struggled this season in the field and at the plate. Castro had a good spring and first month of the season, but it all went south and he lost his every day job to Addison Russell.
A year after hitting .292/.339/.438 with 33 doubles, a triple and 14 home runs for a .777 OPS, Castro is batting .238/.272/.306 with 12 doubles, a triple and five home runs for a .577 OPS this season.
Castro is only 25 years old and is 51 hits short of 1,000 in his big league career. Over six seasons, Castro has a career line of .278/.318/.397 with a .715 OPS.
Starlin Castro has said all of the right things publicly about his demotion. And reports have indicated Castro is working hard on a daily basis to be prepared to help the Cubs when he is called on. Castro has done a good job, defensively at second base, and he’s taking grounders and working out at third base.
The Cubs reportedly tried to trade him prior to the deadline. And it’s likely Castro will be moved in the off-season. If the front office decides to trade him this winter, the Cubs will not give him away. Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer have not made a habit of selling low on a player. And this front office will certainly not start by letting a team have Starlin Castro without receiving a player back that fits a need at the big league level for the Cubs.
If Starlin Castro was placed on waivers, there should be an update soon on if he was claimed, cleared or pulled back.
Stay Tuned …