Less than two years after lavishing Rusney Castillo with a $72.5 million contract, the Boston Red Sox placed the Cuban outfielder on waivers. Castillo later cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Pawtucket.
Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal reported the news of Castillo's demotion on Monday. Jon Heyman of Today's Knuckleball originally reported the news Sunday.
Castillo, 28, has appeared in only nine games this season. He's recorded two hits in eight at-bats and spent most of the year in Pawtucket.
Castillo is owed the balance of his $10.5 million contract in 2016, followed by $46 million over the next four seasons. Billed as a five-tool superstar in the making after defecting from Cuba in 2014, Castillo has ranked among the worst free-agent signings in recent Red Sox history.
He raked the ball in a brief stint toward the end of 2014, hitting .333 with two home runs and six RBI in 10 games. His performance fell off a steep cliff over a larger sample last season, with Castillo batting .253/.288/.359 with five home runs and 29 RBI. Despite being an excellent defender, Castillo had double his wins above replacement (0.8) in that 10-game sample than he did in 2015 (0.4), per FanGraphs.
“My thing is, I just want to be playing baseball,” he said through translator Daveson Perez earlier this month, per Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald. “This in itself is a dream for me. The goal for me is to support this team in any way that I can. I’m not thinking about trades, I’m not thinking about where my career might take me next. I know that I want to play good baseball and I want to help the Red Sox.”
The reality here is that Castillo isn't that bad of a baseball player. He would probably be useful in a platoon for the Red Sox as they await the returns of Blake Swihart and Brock Holt.
But much like Pablo Sandoval, who was roundly criticized before undergoing shoulder surgery, the disappointment over Castillo's performances is clouding how he's viewed. If Castillo were making the minimum, his replacement-level numbers wouldn't bat an eye. The Red Sox would likely be fine having him man left field for the time being given the ground he covers.
Even if he's a half-win above replacement, that's still a net positive. But Castillo's making the salary of a solid everyday starter and producing like a platoon player. No team bit on his contract, and it appears the Red Sox are going to have to eat a whole lot of it to even move on.
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