Chicago Cubs Trade Rumors 2015: Starlin Castro to New York Yankees in trade
The Chicago Cubs decided to part ways with infielder Starlin Castro, sending the Dominican professional baseball player to the Yankees in exchange for Brendan Ryan and Adam Warren. But before the announcement was made, the Cubs already signed Ben Zobrist to a separate deal worth $56 million, which is good for four years.
Though letting Castro go seems like a not-so-smart decision for the team, the emergence of Javier Baez still makes the infield depth formidable, meaning they're not expected to miss that much of reliability in the position.
The 25-year old produced 11 home runs in 2015 and also was relegated to the second base during the midseason after playing shortstop. But his finest career performance came in 2011 when he led the National League in hits.
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Meanwhile, Warren compiled a 3.29 ERA for a little over 131 innings last year. He did this in 17 starts and 26 as a reliever. The best thing about Warren's addition to the Cubs roster is that he is a pretty versatile player, having assumed the roles of long relief, starter, and setup man all throughout his career.
The 33-year old Ryan played in 47 games for New York last season, hitting .229/.275/.33 (68 OPS+) in the process. He is expected to play a reserve role in Chicago.
As for the Yankees, this trade makes a lot of sense because they get a player that fills a position they sorely lack stability last season. The three-time All-Star is expected to play second baseman. His addition is actually a good move for the Yankees team with a roster that is full of aging veterans.
The team spent a lot of money in trying to improve the roster for a couple of years now, and by taking the entirety of Castro's $38 million salary until 2019, they again are putting a gamble on a player who still needs to prove himself.
