Let's give Brian Cashman the benefit of the doubt and say the trade for Starlin Castro was a good one. Many major league executives already feel that way, praising the Yankees for acquiring an athletic middle infielder with high upside. But that's not to say the deal with the Cubs comes without an asterisk. The Bombers have their work cut out for them turning Castro into a dependable asset.
In fact, the swap's long-term success depends on which Castro shows up in 2016: the one who was prone to mishaps and gaffes and was ultimately benched by Joe Maddon last summer. Or the one who was nearly unstoppable after Aug. 1 and helped take Chicago to the playoffs.
If the answer is behind door No. 2, then Cashman will have brought the Yankees one step closer to his ideal roster for 2017 and beyond -- under-30 and gifted on both sides of the ball. There's a cultural revolution going on in the Bronx that would've been unthinkable even three years ago. But check out Cashman's recent blueprint:
He's adding one young player at a time, notably Didi Gregorius, Nathan Eovaldi and Luis Severino. Now it's Castro. They'll soon be joined by Greg Bird and Aaron Judge, and off we go to the next generation.
Yet, the Yankees are counting on Castro to produce immediately -- with the Mets surging, they desperately need to get to the playoffs in 2016. The Bombers' faith in Castro is bolstered by his performance after Aug. 1 last year, including a .335 average and a 1.055 OPS after Sept. 1.
But what, exactly, did it take for Castro to find his inner beast? Apparently, it was old-school discipline from Maddon, who decided he'd had enough of Castro's underperformance and replaced him with Addison Russell. To Castro's credit, he took the punishment well. There was no pouting, no complaining to the press and no vanishing act on his teammates.
Instead, Castro hunkered down, allowed himself to be remade as a second baseman and reminded everyone at Wrigley to remember why ownership signed him to an eight-year, $60.6 million deal in 2012. The Yankees intend to harness Castro's brief renaissance and turn him into a consistent gap hitter who'll make a difference in the Bronx.
But make no mistake, the 25-year-old Castro isn't what Robinson Cano was at the same age. His on-base percentage has been under .300 for two of the last three years and has shown unremarkable power. Castro ranked 18th among 20 qualifying second basemen in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) and was 16th among 20 qualifying shortstops.
But the shortfall might not be entirely Castro's fault. The Cubs were guilty of pushing him too hard and too soon to be the team's superstar. At one point, the marketing department pictured Castro alongside an image of Derek Jeter as a way to sell its Pick 13 ticket plan.
The Yankees have no intention of leaning that hard on their newest player. Instead, they'll ease Castro in as a second-tier player, and hope a veteran assumes the role of mentor. One possibility is the now-retired Alfonso Soriano, the former Yankee who was Castro's teammate in Chicago from 2010-13.
It would make sense to invite Soriano to spring training as a guest instructor to help Castro assimilate. But an even more compelling choice would be Alex Rodriguez, who, like Castro, is Dominican, and can offer advice about winning over the fans in a tough market.
Crazy, isn't it, that A-Rod can be seen as a force of good. But his remorse for years of lying and cheating seems genuine and now more than ever, Rodriguez wants to help younger players. Don't be surprised if he and Castro become friends. If so, the Yankees might have a legitimate weapon in their lineup.
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