Why Aaron Boone Is Eager to Add Miguel Castro to Yankees' Bullpen
DUNEDIN, Fla. — The Yankees added a new face to their bullpen on Sunday, a right-hander with elite swing-and-miss stuff.
New York acquired Miguel Castro from the Mets, trading lefty reliever Joely Rodríguez to their crosstown rival.
"He's good," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Castro moments after the final out of a Grapefruit League loss to the Blue Jays. "He's coming off a great season last year. We're pretty familiar with him just facing him with the Mets and obviously Baltimore for a lot of those years. A guy with great stuff. I think he deepens our 'pen a little bit."
Castro posted a career-best 3.45 ERA over 70.1 innings (69 appearances) in 2021 with the Mets, striking out 77 batters while allowing 48 hits and seven home runs. Across the right-hander's seven-year career, Castro has a 4.13 ERA, recording seven saves and racking up 311 strikeouts.
Before donning a a Mets uniform, Castro played for the Orioles, Rockies and Blue Jays. He debuted with Toronto in 2015, the same year Josh Donaldson won American League Most Valuable Player.
"I'm familiar with him," Donaldson said Sunday. "I've had some at-bats off of him. He's got electric stuff. And he's been reliable."
Castro's advanced numbers are appealing as well. The right-hander throws hard (98th percentile in fastball velocity), misses barrels (93rd percentile in average exit velocity) and excels at making opponents swing and miss (87th percentile Whiff%). Specifically, his whiff rate was a career-high 32.6% in 2021, 41.5% on his sweeping slider.
The only issue with Castro is his command. The 27-year-old had a 14.2 walk rate a season ago, issuing free passes to 43 of the 303 batters he faced.
If Castro can harness the movement on his three-pitch mix, making sure he's effectively wild—rather than just wild—he can be an impactful addition to New York's bullpen. Adding his closer-like stuff to a group that already includes Aroldis Chapman, Jonathan Loáisiga, Chad Green, Clay Holmes and more has some serious potential.
Either way, he'll need to improve in his control. This is also an indication that New York is comfortable with their left-handed pitching depth in the bullpen. Trading away Rodríguez means Chapman, Lucas Luetge and Wandy Peralta are the only other lefties remaining in the 'pen.
Non-roster invitee Manny Bañuelos and prospect JP Sears are both left-handers and in contention for a roster spot with only a few days to go before Opening Day. Otherwise, the likes of Deivi García, Clarke Schmidt, Luis Gil, Ron Marinaccio and more are competing for the final few roster spots.
MORE:
- Yankees, Mets Swap Relievers in Trade
- Yankees Opening Day Roster Prediction 2.0: What Changes After Jose Trevino Trade
- Gerrit Cole 'Ready to Go' For Opening Day Despite Shortened Spring
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