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Cubs Acquire Willi Castro

By Mark Polishuk | July 31, 2025 at 7:07pm CDT

The Cubs have landed utilityman Willi Castro from the Twins, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.  Minnesota will receive multiple prospects in return, and ESPN.com’s Jesse Rogers specifies those players as minor league pitchers Ryan Gallagher and Sam Armstrong.

The switch-hitting Castro can play all over the diamond, but he’ll surely get most of his playing time in Chicago at third base.  The Cubs haven’t gotten much from the position all season, even though top prospect Matt Shaw has been on fire since the All-Star break.  Shaw could continue to get at-bats as long as he continues to hit, with Castro spelling him on occasion and moving into more of a regular role if Shaw comes back to earth.

Since coming to Minnesota as a free agent in the 2022-23 offseason, Castro has hit .250/.335/.398 over 1388 plate appearances and played at every position on the field except catcher and first base.  Beyond just being a plug-and-play fill-in for the Twins’ many injuries over the years, Castro forced his way into more of a regular role with his solid hitting both sides of the plate, and a 34-steal season in 2023.  That havoc on the basepaths may have been a one-year outlier (he is 23-of-35 in steal attempts over the last two seasons), but Castro is nevertheless a solid all-around contributor.

Castro is also inexpensive, as the Cubs will owe him roughly $2MM for the remainder of the 2025 season before the utilityman enters free agency this winter.  Between his salary, rental status, and ability to fit into pretty much any roster, Castro drew a lot of buzz as the deadline approached, with such teams as the Astros, Yankees, and Mariners listed as known suitors.

This interest allowed the Twins to land two pitching prospects for a rental player.  MLB Pipeline ranks Gallagher as the eighth-best prospect in the Chicago farm system, while Armstrong just barely cracked Baseball America’s preseason Cubs ranking in the 30th spot on the list.  This duo will join the haul of young talent Minnesota received as part of their enormous deadline-day selloff.

Gallagher was a sixth-round pick in the 2024 draft, and he has already reached the Double-A Knoxville in his first pro season.  Gallagher has a 3.43 ERA, 28.2% strikeout rate, and 5.9% walk rate over 84 combined innings at the high-A and Double-A levels, with 11 1/3 of those frames coming in Knoxville.  His top two pitches are a changeup and a fastball, with the latter pitch standing out for its “quality induced vertical break and command” (according to Pipeline’s scouting report) moreso than velocity in the 90-93 mph range.

Armstrong was a 13th-round pick for Chicago in 2023, and he has a 4.62 ERA, 19.3% strikeout rate, and 8.3% walk rate in 89 2/3 innings in Knoxville this season.  BA’s scouting report says Armstrong has “a kitchen sink’s worth of pitches” but perhaps not a true signature pitch among his six offerings, as his slider gets the highest grade with a relatively modest 50.  Armstrong has posted some good grounder rates across his minor league career, but it would seem he might have trouble continually fooling batters without premium stuff.

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Chicago Cubs Minnesota Twins Newsstand Transactions Willi Castro

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95 Comments

  1. Kenny22

    19 hours ago

    Holy crap, is Jed awake? Yes.. He is

    6
    Reply
    • Robert-5

      19 hours ago

      Hardly, Joe Ryan was the target here. And now the Red Sox are going to swoop in bc Jed decided to not go all-in.

      4
      Reply
      • InsertWittyName

        4 mins ago

        Care to comment on that one again?

        Reply
    • Pete'sView

      19 hours ago

      Cubs just got a good one.

      7
      Reply
      • Dumpster Divin Theo

        17 hours ago

        A good what

        2
        Reply
    • NYCityRiddler

      15 hours ago

      “Jed has been on a bender since signing his extension & will be out of the office until he sobers up sometime next week, if you need immediate assistance please contact Tom Rickets @ CUBS R DUMB”

      1
      Reply
  2. looseouttaturn2

    19 hours ago

    Twins triple A night next home stand!

    12
    Reply
    • Col_chestbridge

      19 hours ago

      At least they don’t have to go far to get from St Paul. Probably don’t even have to change housing accommodations

      Reply
    • JimOToole

      19 hours ago

      The Twins are heading back to the future. In the 1950s, Minneapolis and St. Paul each had a Triple A team. Now, Twins fans will again have a choice of watching Triple-A ball in each of the Twin Cities.

      8
      Reply
  3. King. Of. Cards

    19 hours ago

    Useful player. They need more pitching but hey the Brewers and Reds haven’t done much either.

    4
    Reply
    • Blue Baron

      19 hours ago

      The Reds added Littell and Hayes. Try to keep up.

      4
      Reply
      • King. Of. Cards

        19 hours ago

        Thats not a lot. And what have the Brewers added?

        Like I said the Brewers and Reds haven’t done much either.

        2
        Reply
        • King. Of. Cards

          19 hours ago

          Hays cant hit. Littell is a backend starter. Those are small moves. Just like Castro, Soroka and Kittredge. All 3 Central teams have pooped the bed from what I can see right now.

          5
          Reply
        • Steelers 6x

          19 hours ago

          But with all the moves your Cardinals have made you should be able to stay ahead of the Pirates!!! Bahahahaha….

          1
          Reply
        • DieSoxWhiteFan

          19 hours ago

          They still have a little time but Assad is nearing his return in the minors and Taillion just resumed throwing again. I agree they need a top end guy, but they have depth coming back.

          2
          Reply
        • GhostofShoelessJoe

          16 hours ago

          I thought there was a very small chance NYM might trade Senga.

          He can’t get through to the 6th inning, has to be given extra days and kind of fragile. Taxes the bullpen too much ERA good but really like a 3 starter. He missed all of 2024. I won’t be surprised if he gets traded in offseason. Maybe with arcane rules he can be traded this year.
          It seems counterintuitive but I would have quietly shopped him and our closer Diaz who can opt out and might

          Reply
    • Alnjenn0717

      19 hours ago

      The Brewers fully caught and passed us. The onus was on us to make a move. We are in trouble

      8
      Reply
      • solaris602

        36 mins ago

        This potentially being their one shot with Kyle Tucker, I really thought it would be no holds barred at the deadline for CHC. Boy was I wrong.

        Reply
  4. MysterySpot

    19 hours ago

    Does he pitch?

    3
    Reply
    • rondon

      19 hours ago

      Wake up! This guy gets them the bench bat with multiple position versatility they haven’t had all year. Not a marquee name but this is a very solid move.

      17
      Reply
      • scurvyrickets

        19 hours ago

        Ah yes solid. Exactly the top move we need 😂. Jed is this you?

        3
        Reply
      • MysterySpot

        19 hours ago

        It’s obviously a joke lol

        1
        Reply
        • rondon

          15 hours ago

          Right. Because Brujan and Turner have been so awesome. There’s your joke, sport.

          2
          Reply
        • MysterySpot

          14 hours ago

          Hey man, you ok? It’s like you took that super personally for some reason.

          Reply
      • Dogbone

        19 hours ago

        Yeah, this helps some. Gives flexibility across 2B-3B. I think they could get him reps at third.

        Reply
      • Fred K. Burke

        19 hours ago

        Good ball player. Solid, versatile guy. A player to consider resigning during the off season. We’ll see. There’s other resigning/extension priorities

        3
        Reply
        • Unclemike1526

          18 hours ago

          Jed did alright I gotta say. They were all solid moves. Footnote: All the other prospects traded are off the top 30 prospects in MLB but Gallagher is still there. Oversight? Or was it somebody else moved? He got a couple of short men and a long man and the SH bench guy they looked for for 4 years. Now get him signed up because I thought I read he has a player option for next year. You gave up solid worth to get him, Now keep him. Jed didn’t trade much of the future. The benefit of having him around for the future.

          6
          Reply
      • CentralFan71

        17 hours ago

        Exactly. This guy can play 6 positions. Look how important Ben Zobrist was to the Cubs in 2016. Doubt we win the World Series without him. This is him! Also, in a move that was addition by subtraction, when the Cubs traded for Taylor Rogers, a solid lefty for the pen, they DFAd Ryan Pressley. At least he won’t have the chance to crush our chances in October by blowing big games where we had the lead.

        11
        Reply
        • GhostofShoelessJoe

          16 hours ago

          Returning injured CUB starters will help but CUBs take a step backward in 2026 if Tucker leaves

          1
          Reply
        • Led Hoyer

          14 hours ago

          I hope Tucker starts hitting like a 500 million dollar man again. He’s been brutal since the break

          1
          Reply
  5. CardsFan57

    19 hours ago

    The Cubs are still alive!

    2
    Reply
  6. Dorkus Malorkus (3768902)

    19 hours ago

    Let me guess: for cash?

    1
    Reply
  7. cubfan16

    19 hours ago

    Bye bye berti

    3
    Reply
    • Brick House Coffee Tables Inc

      19 hours ago

      I think that this is a Brujan replacement. Moises will go back to Iowa until September 1.

      3
      Reply
    • Kennyg420

      18 hours ago

      That was my first thought too, but we need Berti pitching when we get blown out every other week lol

      4
      Reply
      • AHH-Rox

        16 hours ago

        Castro has 6 career pitching appearances, so they’ve got that covered.

        4
        Reply
  8. Oppo nacho

    19 hours ago

    Another potential red off the board

    Reply
  9. swanhenge

    19 hours ago

    Good player to have on the team.

    2
    Reply
  10. t0bIe1CaN0bI

    19 hours ago

    Say it with me Cubs fans… Thank you AJ Hinch

    Reply
  11. Logjammer D'Baggagecling

    19 hours ago

    Now go get Ryan, Gore, Cabrera or Gallen.

    3
    Reply
    • Acoss1331

      19 hours ago

      Heck yes! This is a good move! Yes, a starter please!

      1
      Reply
    • I might be giant

      19 hours ago

      Hell no now lose all of your games so the brewers can win even though I hate them too

      Reply
  12. Unclemike1526

    19 hours ago

    A Jed move I can get behind. nice move Jed. Atta Boy. Sorry Moises but back to Iowa.

    4
    Reply
    • Robert-5

      19 hours ago

      We dont know what he gave up, but I like the pickup. Still, needed Ryan and this tells me they tried and couldnt make it work. Now Boston rumored to be trying to get Ryan at last minute bc Jed chickened out.

      2
      Reply
      • Unclemike1526

        19 hours ago

        As long as it’s not a top P, Or Caissie, The Cubs have tons of infield prospects at Iowa to be moved.This is a move that needed to be made.

        2
        Reply
      • Steelers 6x

        19 hours ago

        Robert, what did the Twins ask for in exchange for Ryan. I can’t find it anywhere. Please share with the group.

        1
        Reply
        • Unclemike1526

          19 hours ago

          Can’t even find out what they gave up for Castro. Happiest guy in Chicago right now is CC. He just lit up a cigar.

          Reply
        • Steelers 6x

          19 hours ago

          Gallagher and Armstrong.

          Reply
        • Unclemike1526

          19 hours ago

          That’s a bit much. But if they’re serious I guess it’s OK. I’m in the minority that thinks the Cubs don’t need a Starter. They just need to look down to Iowa and wait for their guys to come back.

          1
          Reply
        • I might be giant

          19 hours ago

          Please

          Reply
        • Unclemike1526

          19 hours ago

          That’s groundbreaking. You have a podcast?

          Reply
        • Brick House Coffee Tables Inc

          19 hours ago

          They seem to be trading guys who won’t likely be significant contributors until 2028 or later. As of 5:55 Eastern Gallagher was the highest prospect traded.

          2
          Reply
        • Unclemike1526

          19 hours ago

          Gallagher is at AA and is very good. I don’t think it will take him long to move up. But Schlaffer and Wiggins are now at AA. They have 4 guys that are usable at AAA( Wicks, Noland, Sanders, Assad) They have moves they can make with Brown and Horton here they can mix and match. So yeah it was deep. If you want something good you gotta pay.

          3
          Reply
    • kgcubs

      19 hours ago

      Aloha uncle, agreed. Happy to have Castro for the rest of the year and it didn’t mortgage the future. Mahalo

      5
      Reply
  13. Rsox

    19 hours ago

    Cubs get the bench player the fans wanted. Castro, Soroka, Kittredge, not big splashes but solid

    7
    Reply
    • Robert-5

      19 hours ago

      They still need a playoff starter or this was all a waste. Shouldve kept Bellinger and Paredes and Cam Smith. Tucker walks this winter.

      7
      Reply
      • Acoss1331

        19 hours ago

        If he gets a starter, this is a great deadline.

        Reply
    • scurvyrickets

      13 hours ago

      I see you Jed 😂

      Reply
  14. Barstool Rodeo

    19 hours ago

    Nice pick up.

    1
    Reply
  15. Bartolo Cologne

    19 hours ago

    I like it. Now go get Ryan.

    2
    Reply
    • I might be giant

      19 hours ago

      Hell no let us keep a single good player

      Reply
      • Bartolo Cologne

        19 hours ago

        You have to go for it, dude. There’s no chance they give Tucker the money he’s gonna want. Gotta go all in if you’re serious about a deep postseason run.

        2
        Reply
        • I might be giant

          19 hours ago

          Well then don’t go on a post season run boom that simple 🤯

          Reply
        • I might be giant

          19 hours ago

          Well they have to money give it to him it’s god damn Chicago

          Reply
        • Fred K. Burke

          18 hours ago

          Agreed. No way on Tucker. Excel Sports Management noted that Tucker could only be looking for a $475 million deal over 10 years. The Cubs ownership won’t allow that.

          1
          Reply
        • northsidecrossrifles

          15 hours ago

          475 sounds too heavy unless he goes on a tear soon. His OPS isn’t even .900

          Reply
  16. James Midway

    19 hours ago

    Twins 40 man down to like 15

    6
    Reply
  17. Logjammer D'Baggagecling

    19 hours ago

    Joe Ryan to red Sox

    Reply
    • cbrookhouzen

      15 hours ago

      Not even close

      Reply
  18. CC Ryder

    19 hours ago

    Jed thought the deadline was tomorrow
    His definition of being “all in” is different than general managers who actually want to win

    4
    Reply
  19. Ray GoCubsGo

    19 hours ago

    Do the Twins really only have only have 2 players signed for next year?

    Reply
  20. t0bIe1CaN0bI

    19 hours ago

    I was worried a couple days ago. But now I’m looking forward to my Tigers playing Min and Cle.

    1
    Reply
  21. Logjammer D'Baggagecling

    19 hours ago

    Whose going to the twins?

    1
    Reply
  22. mattg3

    19 hours ago

    The Cubs absolutely need a 1-3 type starting pitcher. While I like the switch hitting utility guy, they still need the sp. Hopefully we’ll get there in the next 15 minutes!!

    Reply
    • scurvyrickets

      13 hours ago

      We didn’t. Don’t act surprised.

      Reply
  23. ryrockak

    19 hours ago

    This is a very solid addition. Cubs fans should be happy. Now let’s see who they have up.
    17 minutes left!!

    1
    Reply
  24. justme

    19 hours ago

    Multiple prospects for him?? Hope not..he is a nice bench player..but multiple prospects idk..rather seen more pitching even if its low level prospects..but we will see what they gave up

    2
    Reply
    • MC Tim C

      19 hours ago

      It will be a couple of back end top 30 types. They aren’t giving up much for an expiring contract.

      1
      Reply
      • scurvyrickets

        13 hours ago

        Soroka trade speaks diff. Jed is gonna Jed.

        Reply
  25. rparker68

    19 hours ago

    Can he pitch?

    1
    Reply
    • I might be giant

      19 hours ago

      No bro read the damn article

      1
      Reply
  26. matthew07

    19 hours ago

    Great, now flush Turner.

    3
    Reply
  27. Catuli Carl

    19 hours ago

    Multiple?! Brother’s OPS+ is league average.

    Reply
  28. Bryzzo2016

    19 hours ago

    Gallagher and Armstrong going back to Minnesota. Fair trade, definitely not top prospects.

    Reply
  29. matthew07

    19 hours ago

    Jed is gonna Jed. He’s not all in. It has been, and always will be, half measures.

    2
    Reply
  30. AI GM

    19 hours ago

    D Chicago. Expensive for little impact.

    A+ Twins Strong mid rotation prospect for rental.

    3
    Reply
  31. Chitown7

    18 hours ago

    It’s evident the Cubs are not big boy players. Ricketts gives Jed a new contract before the deadline which gives Jed a comfort zone to not have make significant trades. My goodness this organization is truly lost when it’s time to pay the fans back with an “all in attitude.” So very sad that their priorities are so skewed.

    3
    Reply
    • Dumpster Divin Theo

      17 hours ago

      What big forehead guy said

      2
      Reply
    • CentralFan71

      17 hours ago

      Jed is certainly the Anti-Preller. It is amazing how different those two guys are. Big difference in quality of farm systems now, but prospects need to be used sometime to make the big moves like Preller does. Palencia is great at the closer role, but can you imagine a lights out combo of Mason Miller/Daniel Palencia to close out games for the Cubs? It suddenly becomes a 7 inning game for Chicago if that happened. Kittredge and Roger’s are very nice additions and you can never have too many left-handed bullpen arms, but Miller would look awful good for the next 5+ years in Cubbie blue!

      Reply
      • Manfred Rob's Earth Band

        13 mins ago

        When was the last time you saw 2 closers work well together on the same team?

        Reply
  32. Smelly_Cobb

    16 hours ago

    Death, taxes and MLBTR crashes on deadline day

    2
    Reply
  33. CC Ryder

    15 hours ago

    Jed Hoyer has to be one of the worst POBO in the sport. Everyone he acquired has an expiring contract and he didn’t fulfill the Cubs needs. He is pitiful, if this is going all in oh my Lord. Jed is nothing more than a pawn of team ownership. We’re still waiting for something to happen with the $30 million salary dump when they traded Cody Bellinger, which ownership said it wasn’t a dump. The money is being repurposed is what Tom Ricketts claimed. Where so ownership can buy more buildings in Wrigleyville

    2
    Reply
    • scurvyrickets

      13 hours ago

      The. Need money to donate to king Trump.

      Reply
  34. scurvyrickets

    13 hours ago

    He’s fantastic in MLB 25 🤷‍♂️

    Reply
  35. Bruce wulff

    4 seconds ago

    Next to the twins, Jed easily earned an f for not doing what it would take with unlimited resources to put winning team all the way. But does he care for he got his extension!

    Reply

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