Yankees Make Sense For 'Highly Talked-About' Infielder

Wanted: Young, cost-controlled All-Star jack-of-all-trades who's comfortable playing third base on a title contender.

If that's the job description New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman posts ahead of the July 31 MLB trade deadline, then Willi Castro could be his man, according to the New York Post's Joel Sherman.

"If the Twins do become sellers, I could see Castro becoming a highly talked-about player in the industry because he is in his walk year and he is adaptable to nearly any team’s needs as a switch-hitter (who has particularly crushed lefty pitching) while playing every position this year except catcher and first base," Sherman wrote Tuesday.

The 28-year-old Castro makes just $6.4 million this season, after which he will be a free agent.

He earned his first All-Star selection last year, during which he set career highs in home runs (12) and RBI (60).

Castro has played every position this season except for catcher and first base (and yes, he has taken the mound this year, throwing one inning without giving up a run). That includes 11 this year at third base, as well as 27 at third in 2024 and 41 at third in 2023.

Joining a club like the Yankees, which reached the World Series last season, shouldn't bother Castro because he is playoff tested. He got postseason at-bats in each of the last two years with the Twins, playing in a total of six games.

Castro came up in the Guardians' minor-league system after signing as an amateur free agent in 2013. Cleveland traded him to the Tigers in 2018 and Castro made his MLB debut with Detroit in 2019. Following the 2022 season, he signed as a free agent with the Twins.

While the Yankees are expected to chase bullpen help ahead of the trade deadline, adding a dependable third baseman like Castro would allow manager Aaron Boone to slide Jazz Chisholm Jr. back to second base.

In addition, Castro would give Boone a Swiss Army Knife: a player that can be move all around the infield and even rotate through the outfield if necessary. And don't overlook his ability on the base paths. Castro stole a career-high 33 bases in 2023.

Would trading for Castro be a sexy, headline-stealing move for the Yankees? No. But he might be just what New York needs to return to the World Series.

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