Minnesota Twins Trying to Trade Willi Castro

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Willi Castro, Minnesota Twins
Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

If you need a reminder that baseball is a business, look no further than the Minnesota Twins offseason. With little financial flexibility from ownership, president of baseball operations Derek Falvey will be tasked with supplementing the roster while cutting players whose salaries would cause the payroll to go above the expected $130 self-imposed maximum. No fringe veteran is safe, even team MVP Willi Castro, apparently.

Last season Willi Castro was among the best players on the Minnesota Twins roster. Rocco Baldelli was able to deploy him all over the field, and he consistently produced, no matter what position he played.

Willi Castro being shopped by Minnesota Twins this offseason

Castro was named an All-Star for the first time, and he’s a Silver Slugger finalist. None of that will stop the Twins from shopping him this offseason, though. In fact, The Athletic’s Dan Hayes picked him out specifically as “a likely target” for the Twins to move.

This roster is about to get expensive. Willi Castro (this season’s most valuable player), catcher Ryan Jeffers, infielder Royce Lewis, Larnach, starting pitchers Ober and Ryan, and key relievers Griffin Jax, Jhoan Duran and Jorge Alcala all are due raises as arbitration-eligible players. Brock Stewart, is too… But with so many key players starting to earn big dollars, it’s very possible the Twins trade from this batch of players. Expected to earn $6.2 million, Castro is a likely target.

Dan Hayes on the Twins arbitration eligible players (The Athletic)

Related: Minnesota Twins Land Two Silver Slugger Finalists

Castro posted a 102 OPS+ while playing in 158 games for the Twins in 2024. He did that on a modest $3.3 million salary. That is a perfect outcome in every sense when looking for a utility player. At a projected $6.2 million he starts to enter Kyle Farmer territory.

Castro, Farmer getting too expensive for Twins

Farmer’s 82 OPS+ last season was rough, but even if he had been better, the $6.3 million he made through arbitration was deemed an overpay by the market. Castro probably warrants the payday, but it’s tough to justify for a team with payroll constraints.

Minnesota picked Castro up off the scrap heap following his release by the Detroit Tigers. If they can parlay him into another usable asset, then his value continues to pay off. The Twins also have internal utility candidates that had a presence on the roster last season. The most logical of them is former top prospect Austin Martin.

Related: Minnesota Twins Outright a Handful of Players; All Clear Waivers

As a rookie Martin played in 93 games and posted an 89 OPS+. He isn’t far from Castro offensively, and could develop into more. Realistically Castro is a player that any good team should be looking to keep around. He’s an exceptional player at the back-end of an active roster. When ownership isn’t going to fund a bigger payroll though, these things happen.

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