Who is Rusney Castillo and Why Do the Red Sox Want Him?

"ESPN’s Jayson Stark hears that the bidding for Castillo could cost $50-60MM over five years. Stark lists five of the six usual suspects as finalists, noting that the Red Sox, Tigers, Giants, Phillies and Yankees remain in the mix for Castillo."

Who? What!? Red Sox!?!?

Rusney Castillo recently defected from Cuba to play Major League Baseball in the United States. Castillo is a 27 year old outfielder who some would regard as a five-tool player. He is currently weighing his options from several big market clubs and sources believe his decision is coming soon.

The Red Sox have David Ortiz at designated hitter, Mike Napoli at first base, and an outfield that has three former (one current) All Stars as well as two highly-rated outfield prospects (Jackie Bradley Jr., Mookie Betts). With Ortiz and Napoli at DH and 1B, Allen Craig must play the outfield. Who gets benched then? Given the struggles of almost all Red Sox rookies at the plate, it would be logical to assume Bradley Jr. and Betts would start the season in the minor leagues or on the bench. Of course, there is also the possibility that one of them could get traded this off-season, especially if the Red Sox sign Castillo. That would leave the team with Craig in left, Shane Victorino in center, and Yoenis Cespedes in right. Where does that leave room for Castillo, even with the rookies out of the way? That I cannot answer. Given the ample time missed by Victorino and Craig this season due to injuries, however, Castillo may have an opening sooner rather than later.

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Castillo can help the Red Sox with something they haven't received from their outfield this season: offense. In over 1,100 at bats, Castillo only hit 42 home runs in Cuban ball. However, his career batting average of .315 and on-base percentage of .380 would be more than welcomed by the Sox. With his above-average speed (68 steals in 96 attempts), Castillo could potentially provide the club with a lead-off punch that they have been missing since Jacoby Ellsbury's departure in free agency.

Another reason why the Red Sox should sign Castillo? Yoenis Cespedes. Some Red Sox fans (many who just simply had a man-crush on Jon Lester) were upset about the team's acquisition of Cespedes because he is slated to become a free agent at the end of the 2015 season, giving the team only about a year-and-a-half of control. Cespedes, also a native Cuban and a former teammate of Castillo, likened Castillo to Los Angeles Dodgers stud (and yes, a fellow Cuban) Yasiel Puig: “If he’s not a five-tool player, he’s at least a four-tool player. He’s very comparable to [Yasiel] Puig. Obviously a different height and size, but very similar qualities.” A powerful right-handed hitter like Cespedes would certainly love to play at Fenway Park beyond 2015. Adding a player who is not only also a native Cuban but could potentially be an excellent MLB player just adds more incentive for Cespedes to remain with the Sox. 

Here are some highlights of Castillo provided by BaseballAmerica: 

Click Here. Blogger wouldn't let me embed it, sorry!

Obviously these highlights are a tiny sample of selected clips. With that said, I was able to find some aspects of his play that I find particularly appeasing. As noted, he is not exactly a power hitter. Still, it was nice to see him take a high pitch to the opposite field at 2:28 in the video. For him to take a pitch to the opposite field almost 400 feet for the home run is very impressive. In almost 450 major league at bats now, Jackie Bradley Jr. has four home runs. None of them were to the opposite field. 

The other part of Castillo's game that I thought would fit in nicely with any MLB club is his bunting. Players that are fast are fairly common. Players that successfully use that speed to their advantage are less-common. Players that are fast and can bunt for base-hits are just flat-out rare. It is something that I wished Jacoby Ellsbury would have done more (I don't mean to bring his name up twice in this article - in no way, shape, or form do I expect Castillo to be Ellsbury). The bunt that Castillo lays down at 1:15 is gorgeous. All season, especially with Victorino on the DL, fans have harped on the Red Sox for a true lead-off hitter. While Brock Holt has done admirably, Castillo could potentially be incredible atop a lineup that includes Pedroia, Ortiz, and Cespedes. 

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To those that think, "Because of Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Red Sox will stay away from international players. That's why they didn't sign Jose Abreu or Masahiro Tanaka!" Please understand that not only was "Dice-K" signed under a different general manager than Ben Cherington, but the Red Sox didn't sign Abreu (despite being rumored to be interested) because Abreu signed with the Chicago White Sox in late October. What were the Red Sox doing in late October? Oh, right, winning the World Series. Signing a power-hitting first baseman entering his prime in the middle of the World Series may have sent some bad vibes to the locker room, especially to Mike Napoli who was a soon-to-be free agent. As for Tanaka? The Red Sox entered the 2014 season with one of the deepest pitching staffs on paper. At the time, there was no reason to throw a lot of money Tanaka's way. 

I am confident that wherever Rusney Castillo ends up, he will be a solid player. As Red Sox fans have noticed first-hand this year, you can never have enough solid outfielders. Even if it means saying good-bye to one of the team's top prospects to make room, adding Castillo to the mix in Boston would be a great addition.