The Rockies and utility player Willi Castro have reportedly agreed to a two-year deal that guarantees the ISE Baseball client $12.8MM. Colorado has a full 40-man roster and will need to make a corresponding move to make this official.
Castro, 29 in April, just finished a strong three-year run as one of the better multi-positional players in the sport. That run ended with a deep slump just before he hit free agency but he has still secured a nice deal for himself.
He was non-tendered by the Tigers after the 2022 season and then landed with the Twins via a minor league deal ahead of the 2023 campaign. That minor league pact turned into a huge win for Minnesota. Castro cracked the Opening Day roster in 2023 and went on to have a strong season, getting into 124 games and stepping to the plate 409 times. The switch-hitter launched nine home runs and drew walks at an 8.3% clip. His .257/.339/.411 batting line led to a 107 wRC+, indicating he was seven percent above average at the plate overall. He also stole 33 bases in 38 attempts.
Defensively, he bounced all around the diamond, spending time in all three outfield spots and the three infield positions to the left of first base. He got strong marks almost everywhere the Twins put him. He even got a few mop-up appearances on the mound. The total package added up to 2.5 wins above replacement on the season, according to FanGraphs.
His 2024 season ended up being quite similar. He slashed .247/.331/.385 for a 106 wRC+, swiped 14 bags and played every position except for catcher and first base. His fWAR total nudged up to 2.9 in slightly more playing time.
Last year, he was on essentially the same pace through the trade deadline. He got into 86 games for the Twins, had a .245 /.335 /.407 batting line, 109 wRC+, and nine stolen bases while moving all around.
The Twins fell out of the race and pivoted to selling at the deadline. They flipped Castro to the Cubs for minor league pitchers Ryan Gallagher and Sam Armstrong. Castro’s performance plummeted after the swap. He slashed .170/.245/.240 for a wRC+ of just 40. He wasn’t helped by a .222 batting average on balls in play but the Cubs scaled back his playing time regardless. He only started two of the final 11 games of the regular season. He appeared in two playoff games for the Cubs but without getting sent to the plate.
That was unfortunate timing, with Castro just heading to the open market, but it was also only 110 plate appearances. It seemed possible that clubs would still value his versatility and would focus more on the positives of that three-year run, overlooking the poor finish. At the beginning of the offseason, MLBTR predicted Castro for a two-year, $14MM deal. In December, it was reported that Atlanta, Pittsburgh and Colorado were interested in Castro. The Rockies have landed him by giving him a solid two-year deal just below MLBTR’s prediction.
The Rockies don’t have a lot of certainty on their roster, which is to be expected for a team that just lost 119 games, getting to the century mark in the loss column for a third straight year. They tried bolstering the roster last winter with veteran utility signings. They gave Thairo Estrada $4MM and Kyle Farmer $3.25MM, both on one-year deals. Neither panned out. Estrada was injured for most of the year and hit just .253/.285/.370 in the 39 games he was able to play. Farmer avoided the injured list but put up an even less impressive line of .227/.280/.365.
Ideally, Castro will move past his struggles with the Cubs and return to form. Where he plays will depend upon what happens with the other young players on the Colorado roster. The outfield playing time will likely be divvied up to some combination of Brenton Doyle, Jake McCarthy, Mickey Moniak and Jordan Beck.
Ezequiel Tovar will be the regular at shortstop but the rest of the infield is fairly wide open. Adael Amador could play second but he also has just 164 big league plate appearances with a .176/.242/.250 line. Third baseman Kyle Karros got 156 plate appearances last year but hit just .226/.308/.277. Tyler Freeman will be in the mix somewhere as another multi-positional guy but he’s also coming off a subpar season. Ryan Ritter can also bounce around a bit but he has a .241/.296/.337 line in his 207 big league appearances.
With the Rockies so far from contention, they will be focused on development and will want to have playing time open for anyone in that group who earns it. Castro will likely change positions throughout the year depending on the health and performance of all those other guys. If his offense gets back to where it was during his time in Minnesota, then the Rockies will likely make him available on the trade block this summer, as they aren’t likely to return to contention during the course of this contract.
RosterResource now estimates the Rockies for a payroll of $110MM, assuming the money on this deal is equally distributed across the two years. They spent $124MM on last year’s club and could still have some powder dry if they’re planning for a similar level of spending this year. Earlier this month, general manager Josh Byrnes expressed a desire to add a couple of veterans to the rotation. They have since signed Michael Lorenzen but could still have room for one more starter. It’s also possible to see room for some relief pitchers or perhaps another infielder.
For clubs who missed on Castro, the free agent market still features a couple of other utility guys, including Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Ramón Urías, Adam Frazier, Enrique Hernández, Jon Berti, Jorge Mateo and others.
Jorge Castillo of ESPN first reported the Rockies and Castro had a two-year deal. Robert Murray of FanSided reported the $12.8MM guarantee. Photo courtesy of Jordan Godfree, Ron Chenoy, Imagn Images
Castro can be used as a deadline piece to get a prospect return. Great move for the Rox and this should give him better offensive numbers.
I think you are bang on there. He must not have been getting the interest he thought he would.
How can you say it is a great move until you know what salary the Rockies are paying to take into account the opportunity cost?
The Rockies aren’t going to offer anything ridiculous and out of budget.
Agreed. It’s a trademark for their organization. Offer good extensions to the players they already have then good cheap contracts in Free Agency (Kris Bryant aside).
Mike Hampton
Why you gotta bring up old shh…?!
Cause I’m old and remember things?
(Kris Bryant aside)
The Rockies are about 20 pieces away from being competitive. There is no real opportunity cost for picking up a utility guy to trade in 4 months.
Lol
Turning cash into prospects is exactly what they should be doing.
2 year contract, so there’s next offseason and 2027 Trade Deadline also serve as points to trade.
Also, Willi Castro alone is not going to save the Rockies. Even if they get a Bartolo Colon level of prospects in return, they may only make 1 wild card round at best.
20 pieces away? Who are the 6 keepers?
No, the reason it’s a two year deal is that the team that gets Castro can get an extra year of team control, boosting the price. The second year doesn’t matter to them (most likely).
It has been updated to show $12.8 million for Castro. As a Rockies POBO, I would have preferred to spend that money on pitchers like Jose Quintana and to a lesser extent Nick Martinez. Let Karros and Amador get at-bats at 3B and 2B and see what they can do. Ezequiel Tovar should bounce back to be a stud at shortstop. Hunter Goodman can play 1B when he is not catching. Doyle, Beck, Moniak and maybe McCarthy in the outfield. If McCarthy starts to hit, Moniak can DH. Castro at 1B over Johnston and Crim? Condon won’t be ready for the first half of the season. For $12.8 million I would rather look into Wilmoer Flores or even (gag) Paul Goldschmidt.
Castro can move around and get 400 plus at bats without blocking anyone. AJ Hinch does that a lot in Detroit and it works well. If someone from the group of young infielders doesn’t perform he can jump in full time.
Why would Quintana and Martinez want to go to Colorado? They’re both short term pitchers. They aren’t going to sign a short term deal with a risk to get obliterated in Denver unless that is their only option, which isn’t the case with either.
@top100
Why do you believe the Castro signing leaves no budget for your suggestions? I don’t think this was an either/or proposition.
Stymeedone
Fair response. But Rockies could use three more starters IMHO.
Quintana’s game could fit perfectly at coors, or all of his pitches could be hit for home runs
It’s worth the risk when there’s nothing at stake in Colorado
Rod Beck
No doubt Rockies have to offer more money than say even Pittsburgh or Miami to get a pitcher to sign with them.
Who do the Rockies have on the roster that you’re so worried about him losing playing time to Willi Castro?
This is the type of move all non contenders should make. Little to no risk with some potential for reward
Astros, Castro will also be a big upgrade from Karros or Ritter at 3B.
Well yeah, but Rockies are in a rebuild.
Karros > Castro at bat IMHO
Karros has had 234 PA in Double-A and 69 PA in triple-A before putting up a putrid 56 wRC+ in 156 PA in the majors.
Looks like Karros isn’t ready yet and Castro seems to be a clear upgrade. But the good news: If Karros looks great in spring training, then Castro can play a different position.
Great get for the Rockies.
56 WRC+. Scary.
That is fair.
Maybe I under-rate Castro because he suck so bad with the Cubs and the eye test said he was just as bad as his stats.
You do
Seriously was hoping dbacks grabbed him. Great veteran to have
I guess Hazen figuring they already have enough utility players with Alexander, Lawler, and (NR) Vargas.
League changing 😭
I agree, probably place ahead of the Giants. 😎
Good move by Depo!
I like Willi a lot as a util player. Good to see the Rox working.
The new GM is much better. 2 FA moves already!
Here come the Rockies!!
Did they just win the off-season!?
Win? No. But at least they are involved in the game this time. It is 1000x better than them looking at the 43 win team from last year and choosing to not try to improve the team.
Hopefully they can be better than the 2013 Astros. 2013 Houston was horrible.
I have always said that I do not mind being a fan of a losing team. But I refuse to spend my money on a team that doesn’t at least try to win.
The 2013 Astros were 51-111. The Rockies in 2025 were 43-119. I’m saying, if the Rockies are better than the 2013 Astros, they are not an 110 loss team (unless if they lose 110 games). Either way, it’s still improvement. Your team is losing and isn’t trying to jump to .500. It’s like learning a concept. When you are learning addition, you learn with smaller numbers, like 4+8. You don’t start off with 538+461, you have to work your way there. I’m not sure what you mean, but I hope you mean what I just said. The Rockies need a lot of improvements to compete.
In Mr Moneyball Depodesta we trust, keep in mind he might see stats that most people don’t see
There is only one stat that matters in the real world, W/L record. All the rest is white noise that is fun for fans to play with and to make certain think they can tell the future. But it is still just white noise.
Great move for the Rockies. Wanted the Cubs to add him on the cheap.
We had him and he was garbage.
That is nice to say about someone.
I respect the check…
His play was underwhelming.
@holy
I might have to flag you for your calm and leveled response here. Not allowed here in this chat.
Been hearing about this since November. Glad to see it’s finally come to fruition
I hope he goes off.
Colorado’s chances next year are slim to none, so given a good start at the plate, he could bring back a decent haul.
You are being kind by adding slim to the conversation. The Rockies have no chance, none, nada….
Rockies have been linked to Castro for some time now, and it makes sense to bring a guy like Castro in who can play everywhere, given that we’re not sure of any of our position players outside of Beck, Goodman, Tovar, probably Doyle.
I kept seeing Castro’s name pop up as an alternative to trading for Horner or Donovan. One alternative out of the picture. Cards should just sign the other one and get a deal done before pitchers and catchers pack their bags…..
Sneaky good
Willis a very underrated player. He will like hitting at Coors!
And chuggin’ em!
He seemed really coveted at the deadline. I know his transistion was tough, but surprised he didn’t have a larger market.
Good lucky Willi. Wish you were better with the Cubs.
Hey Willie! Free candy!
Good move. It’s nice to finally have Rockies’ management that is competent.
Well I was hoping for Luis Arraez, but I guess this is not a bad second choice. Although I am still hoping for an Arraez signing also.
Big Willi and Luis are underrated imo
Arraez is still available and most are saying Castro will play 3B.
Luis Arraez could do some damage at Coors Field. Put him between Tovar and Goodman in the lineup and I think their offense improves a lot. Plus what he could do in helping the younger hitters improve. Love to see this happen!
100% agreed. The worst thing that a Rockies lineup can have is strikeouts and Arraez doesn’t strike out much. He is the closest thing to Tony Gwynn that is in the modern game. Not as good as Gwynn, but the same type player. I have always been convinced that if Gwynn played for the Rockies in the second half of his career, he would have hit .400 in a season. Possibly multiple times. Coors Field is HUGE and balls in play , especially slap hits, fall in a lot more often than in other parks..
The Rockies should 100% sign Arraez. He will make the team so much better. Also, the other reason I want the Rox to sign Arraez is so the Rangers don’t.
I was born and raised in San Diego before moving to Colorado in ’88. Very fortunate to watch Tony Gwynn at SDSU play baseball and basketball before signing with the Padres. My favorite player and I still have a Gwynn shrine in my home. I’ve heard Tony Jr. state as well, that Arreaz has the same hitting style as “Pops” and I have to agree when I watch him take his AB’s. Make it happen Rockies!
The big difference between the two, and its a monster is Arraez swings at pitches Gwynn wouldn’t dream of swinging at. Arraez might actually be better at making contact, but his swing choices pale in comparison.
Arraez is actually a good deal worse then the average big leaguer when it comes to chasing pitches out of the zone, not exactly the trait you want from a contact no power type.
Castro should be at 3B with Freeman at 2B. The Outfield mix is solid and Goodman and Tovar are back at their respective positions. If they get any production out of 1B and DH the Rockies could easily improve by 15-20 wins
A really nice pickup. Castro is better offensively than the average second baseman and has positional flexibility.
That’s surprisingly a good signing for the Rockies there. He just had a rough half with Chicago, and should turn it around easily in Coors
I like it for the RFox.
Tyler Freeman is a half decent, versatile 26th man for just about any club – but why the dramatic decline in defense last year? If he has any value with those years of control, trade him for something and go get Dylan Moore on a minor league or split MLB deal, to help your pitching staff out.
Because he was miscast as an outfielder in the toughest outfield in the league with regards to WAR. With KC moving their fences in, Colorado will now have the most square footage in the outfield in the entire league. A lot of ground to cover and WAR doesn’t not accurately account for that. WAR sees a ball that falls in front of an outfielder playing deep as a missed catch no matter what. So it says that a ball should be caught 90% of the time when maybe 5% of outfielders could have realistically caught the ball. In turn it regards that outfielder as poor even though no one was going to catch it.
Before Brenton Doyle’s other-worldly defense, no Rockies in history has been regarded as a good defensive outfielder. Not even Hall of Famer Larry Walker, who is regarded as a really good RF by most people. dWar lists him as a replacement level outfielder for his entire Rockies career. He has 0.6 career dWAR for his 10 years in Colorado. Guys like Ellis Burks, Dante Bichette, Brad Hawpe, Carlos Gonzalez, and Charlie Blackmon were all judged as negative WAR in the Coors outfield. One guy, I could believe. Even 2-3 of them I could buy. But all 6 as negative means there is something wrong with the formula.
Thanks. fantastic comment, Hiflew. I learned a lot from it!
Is Zone Rating a better indicator, or are there flaws with that formula as well?
Honestly, I don’t know enough about it to judge. All I can say is that every defensive metric I have ever looked into had at least one significant flaw. I know everyone wants everything in baseball to be statistically measured, but to me the best defensive measurement is always going yo be the eye test. As long as the the eye knows what it is doing that is.
Rockies going for the Castro trifecta after previously having Harold and Miguel. The other two produced negative WAR for the Rockies, but maybe the third time is a charm.
Don’t forget the other two Castros they had. Daniel Castro was a middle infielder in 2018 and Simon Castro was a middle reliever in 2015. Daniel was also negative WAR, but Simon had a completely neutral WAR.
The Dodgers can still count on 10-12 wins a year against the Rocks.
Yes, undoubtedly, leftykoufax. But what’s the point of saying that? It’s almost as irrelevant as me saying that the Avalanche and Nuggets will almost always beat the Kings, Ducks, Lakers, and Clipperd. Oh, and also adding that McKinnon, Makar, and Jokic are better than anyone on any of those LA teams. See how petty that sounds? It doesn’t always have to be about LA.
That is about the same as a rich 20 year old bragging that his Ferrari can beat your Toyota Tercel in a race 12 out of 13 times. Yeah, it is just not that impressive when you spent so much more money.
That is a lot of money for what is essentially a replacement player. Seems like a good guy – I wish him well.
His fWAR was down to 0.5 last season but was 2.5 and 2.9 the two prior years. So, he’s averaged just under 2 fWAR per year (1.33 bWAR per year) over the past 3. Seems like the fluctuations are due to playing time, position played and BABIP luck.
He’s only 28, so no reason to assume the one year drop is age related.
He made $6.4M last year, put up -0.2 WAR, and now gets $6.4M for the next two years. I guess that makes sense, lol
2.6 WAR in 2023 and 1.6 in 2024. This is a good move for the Rockies, they will likely flip him at the deadline if/when one of their young guys starts hitting
Look at the Rockies go
I still remember all the expert Tiger fans who were ready to be rid of him….he turned-out to be pretty useful….
Poor guy.
I mean, he’s making great money but doing it playing on the Rockies quickly makes u poor
lol why? Castro sucks.