Mark Feinsand stirred the pot Friday morning when he reported the Cubs and Yankees had discussed a deal that would send Starlin Castro to New York for Brett Gardner. By midafternoon Feinsand changed his tune after Jon Heyman reported the two teams had not talked about a Castro-Gardner swap, and presumably getting an update from someone else with the Yankees.
Feinsand reported Castro “could be on the Yankees’ radar,” but Brian Cashman is “eyeing starting pitching” in any deal involving Brett Gardner.
David Kaplan spoke with two scouts that told him that the Yankees would not trade Gardner for Castro “straight up.” But Gardner “would be a great get for the Cubs.” Gardner is one of Cashman’s favorite players, and Girardi’s too according to Kaplan, who added, “It would take a good deal for the Yankees to move him.”
Here’s the latest on Starlin Castro from multiple reports:
• Mark Feinsand reported the Cubs “are shopping Starlin Castro” and the Yankees “are a possible landing spot” just not for Brett Gardner. The Yankees are looking for pitching and more in a trade for Gardner than Castro. Feinsand said the price for Gardner “is higher than Castro.”
• According to George Ofman, the Cubs “would like to keep Castro.”
• A report from ESPN Chicago indicated the Cubs would “love to open the season with both Castro and Baez on the roster.”
• Jesse Rogers reported if the Cubs were to move Starlin Castro it would likely be in a deal for pitching, not a position player. If a deal can be made that included Castro for starting pitching, the front office will make it.
• According to Comcast SportsNet, the Cubs “have scenarios where Castro sticks around next season as their primary second baseman.”
• The Yankees were among the teams not interested in Castro at the trade deadline, according to Patrick Mooney, but that has changed. The Yankees “are said to at least be open-minded about a player who sometimes has a perception problem, given his uneven performance and concentration issues in the past.”
Most feel Castro’s days as a shortstop in the big leagues are over, whether he’s with the Cubs or not. Castro took to second base defensively and hit extremely well at his new position. In 38 games, Castro batted .339/.358/.583 with 11 doubles, a triple and five home runs for a .941 OPS.
Based on reports, the Cubs are talking to teams about Starlin Castro. He not only improved his stock throughout the game over the last two months of the season, his stock also rose within the organization. Plus, by all accounts Castro is extremely well-liked in the clubhouse and the way he handled himself after being benched added to the respect he already had from his teammates.
The front office is exploring every option in which to add pitching to the roster. And one of those deals in the very near future may or may not include Starlin Castro.