As part of an off-season where they began to transition their roster from rebuilding to competing, the Chicago Cubs made some big changes at the catcher position. After trading for Miguel Montero and signing David Ross to a two-year contract, it was clear that the Cubs planned to head in to the 2015 season with that veteran duo as the backstop combination.
With the additions at the position, it seemed clear that incumbent Welington Castillo was on his way out the door. The 27-year-old Castillo has had his struggles (career .256/.324/.400 hitter and a shaky defender), but he has a fair amount of experience behind the plate, and still has plenty of upside to dream on. While the Cubs were seemingly ready to move on, surely there would be a team willing to trade for Castillo.
Well, Spring Training has begun, and he is still a member of the Cubs' organization. Rumors have circulated around Castillo since the acquisitions of Montero and Ross, but nobody has been willing to give the Cubs what they expect in return for him.
With the regular season quickly approaching, the question must be asked; can the Cubs carry three catchers on the 25-man roster, if they cannot find a taker for Castillo? In a recent interview with Bruce Levine and Wayne Randazzo, Cubs’ President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein certainly seemed open to the idea.
“We’re not opposed to three catchers because that last roster spot gives us versatility, then Joe (Maddon) can do plenty of things in-game with those catchers,” Epstein said. Sending Castillo to the minors would be pretty much impossible, considering he is out of minor league options and would never clear waivers, but Randazzo brought up the idea to Epstein. “He will not be in the minor leagues,” Epstein stated, “He’ll be a Cub or he’ll be a big leaguer somewhere else.”
That is seemingly what this is coming down to. The Cubs are trying to trade Castillo, and in a perfect world they would find a taker who would be willing to give up something of value for him. Unfortunately, it appears that teams are set in the catching department, and are not willing to move a valuable piece for him. Epstein and General Manager Jed Hoyer appear willing to play the waiting game, and head into 2015 with three catchers on the roster if that is what it takes.
The Cubs’ off-season trade for outfielder Dexter Fowler seemingly opened up youngster Arismendy Alcantara to play a utility role for the team this upcoming season. Alcantara is a talented and athletic player who can played a lot of second base and centerfield last season. He came up as a shortstop, so it is fair to think he could continue to play there, and it is not crazy to think he could play third base and the corner outfield positions as well.
Alcantara’s (and others to a lesser extent) versatility could allow the Cubs to carry three catchers for a short time to start the year. It is something that is rarely seen in the National League, and is not conceivable for the length of the season, but the Cubs have the versatility to pull it off for a short period of time. This would allow them to buy some time as they wait for the market to open up for Castillo.
Injuries happen, and teams get desperate early in the season. It is likely that the Cubs will eventually find a taker for Castillo, they just have to remain patient and be open to this idea. Giving away assets for nothing is never a strong move, and the Cubs are going to do everything that they can to prevent that from happening in this situation.