Can someone explain this move to me:
Cincinnati Reds general manager Wayne Krivsky today announced the acquisition of IF Juan Castro from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for minor league OF Brandon Roberts.
Castro, 33, is expected to be in uniform for tomorrow’s 7:10 p.m. game against the Chicago White Sox at Great American Ball Park. A corresponding 25-man roster move will be made when Castro arrives here.
To make room for Castro on the 40-man roster, RHP Paul Wilson has been transferred to the 60-day disabled list. Wilson has been on the DL all season recovering from right shoulder surgery.
Middle infield didn’t strike me as the place we most needed help. I can only hope this is the end of the Quentin McCracken era, I’d rather have Olmedo hang around for a while.
I reckon is has something to do with defense, or lack thereof.
It’s hard to see Juan getting starts ahead of either Felipe or Brandon, but I can see him filling in at 3B from time to time, or put in the game as a late inning defensive minded substitution.
Or, completely hypothetically, Wayne might be getting Juan to set up a Felipe trade in the near future?
If the Reds weren’t carrying three catchers, adding at no cost a steady fielding utility infielder wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
My guess is that Olmedo was gone, which is just dumb. I can’t imagine there’s anyone who would rather have Castro than Olmedo.
Fun fact: Castro’s career on-base percentage is .270. That’s nothing short of grotesque.
This is a move that won’t have that much effect on the team, since he won’t be playing every day (unless Narron’s dumber than I thought — and I don’t think he’s very dumb). But it still makes me sick to my stomach that Krivsky thinks this will improve the team.
Hasn’t he earned some leeway to make this trade? See Roberts, Brandon.
Seems to me they’re cleaning the no-chance prospects out of the system. I don’t personally care who we give up in a trade like that if they’re never going to make the majors anyway.
Brandon Roberts?
Two observations:
1. Maybe this sets up a future deal. Perhaps Olmedo is the player to be named for Cody Ross (I’m pretty sure the Reds haven’t announced that part of the deal.) Or maybe heaven forbid a deal of EdE. Though we have of course been waiting for the shoe to drop on the whole 3 cather thing for the entire season.
2. From reading the Twins boards, Juan Castro isn’t even that good defensively anymore.
Link
Castro dropped a routine pop up the other night and I couldn’t help but think back to when Bartlett did the same thing in a spring training game. Gardenhire criticized him to anyone who would listen, turning the mistake into an indictment of Bartlett’s leadership ability, and then Ryan quickly shipped him back to Rochester and handed Castro the job for a second straight season. Not only didn’t Castro receive a fraction of that response, no one even acknowledges that he’s been sloppy defensively all year.
Without above average defense he has only has negative value because 230/270/336 certainly can’t help.
Third option, that I just thought of.
EdE gets demoted to work on his defense.
Clubhouse chemistry needed a pick-me-up.
Getting Juan certainly doesn’t set up a Lopez deal. I guess I don’t get it, but we didn’t give up very much.
This is an absolutely disgusting move.
Chris and Chad . . . nothing like a good ol’ Juan Castro acquisition to bring us back together.
Ha!